


Crushed Star

by hktk



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-07-27 21:11:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 45,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16227413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hktk/pseuds/hktk
Summary: Madara Mikejima invites people out for a trip for a 'bonding experience'. However, it seems that not everything is at it seems, when someone calling themselves P.A.P.A. tells them they must participate in a strange festival dubbed 'The Festival of Four,' locked inside the lake house everyone shares.





	1. ⛩️ PROLOGUE: EASY LIFE ⛩️

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of an ongoing [twitter game](https://twitter.com/EnstarsG)! Your choices on the twitter polls will affect what happens next in the story, big or small. Feel free to participate! 
> 
> This serves as an archive for those who want to reference back.
> 
> More pairings will be added as the story continues...! Look forward to the confirmed ones.
> 
>  **To hide images:** Turn on Creator's style.

 

[MADARA: “Hahahaha! Everyone’s getting along so swimmingly!” ⬙](https://youtu.be/gUjtNoIsojk)

 

And they truly are, it seems. Madara Mikejima looks out across the room, giving a hearty laugh as he is wont to do. No one looks up at him as he stands in the doorway, watching. ⬙

 

Hands on his hips, he laughs again. ⬙

 

That Eichi Tenshouin sits with Wataru Hibiki, Tomoya Masahiro and Hajime Shino, all drinking tea, having fun at a small table in the center of the room. ⬙

 

The three members of Switch—Natsume Sakasaki, Tsumugi Aoba, and Sora Harukawa—are off in the kitchen—Madara can hear Sora yell about the colors as Tsumugi apparently warns Natsume about something—followed by the sound of a very small ‘POP’. ⬙

 

Kanata Shinkai pulls at Kaoru Hakaze’s arm, trying to get him to go through a door to the left—it’s labeled ‘POOL’, so Madara can surmise what he wants to do. Rei Sakuma trails along behind them, languidly, Hinata Aoi in tow. ⬙

 

Koga Oogami sits at another table with Adonis Otogari, the latter of which has his brows furrowed as they play some kind of card game. Despite that it seems like Adonis has no idea what he’s doing yet, it’s almost like he’s winning. ⬙

 

Ritsu Sakuma sleeps pleasantly on a sofa nearby, with Nazuna Nito on the floor in front of him, getting dangerously close to poking his cheek. Leo Tsukinaga bursts out from behind the sofa, scaring Nazuna, but Ritsu remains fast asleep. ⬙

 

Kuro Kiryu and Shu Itsuki—and Mademoiselle—are near the door that Madara stands in, sitting at a table, talking about one thing or another—well, it seems like Shu’s doing most of the talking. ⬙

 

Finally, Chiaki Morisawa is not actually in the room—he bursts out of a nearby door across the room from the door to the pool though, the door slamming shut behind him. In his arms are a few boxes of games, eyes sparkling. ⬙

 

CHIAKI: “Okay, I got—eh?! Where did he go—?!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki stops in his tracks—literally coming to a screeching halt—and looks around the room. He seems perplexed, and Madara is about to intervene and answer his question when a scream cuts through the air. ⬙

 

[It came from the pool area](https://youtu.be/TV8qoPAyvaQ), and it’s very distinctly Kaoru’s voice. ⬙

 

Madara’s legs move faster than his mind, as usual, but Chiaki, having been closer, gets there first, pushing past the doorway into the pool area. ⬙

 

 

 

“HAKAZE—!” ⬙

 

There’s a SPLASH sound, and as soon as Madara gets in, he can see Chiaki flailing around in the water—oh, wait, he’s swimming, right. ⬙

 

 

 

“HAKAZE—! I’m coming!” ⬙

 

Madara surveys the scene, blinking. Rei and Hinata are looking awkwardly off to the side, while Kanata sits with his legs in the pool, cheeks puffed out. Notably, his pants aren’t rolled up, and are soaked. ⬙

 

Kaoru, meanwhile, is flailing around just as much as Chiaki is—though that’s perhaps because Chiaki is grabbing onto him haphazardly, in the deep end of the pool. ⬙

 

 

[KAORU: “M-Moricchi—! I’m f-fine, I’m fine! L-Let go!” ⬙](https://youtu.be/6Io1_vtEhH8)

 

 

CHIAKI: “Haka~ze—!” ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “Moricchi!!” ⬙

 

Kaoru gasps for air, finally getting to a place he can stand, and shoves his friend off. Chiaki bobs beneath the surface before coming back up and gasps, too. ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “I’m totally fine! Jeez, you really jumped the gun there!” ⬙

 

Madara approaches Kanata from the side, leaning down to dutifully roll up his own pants. Kanata kicks his legs, moving slightly away from Madara, though Madara doesn’t seem to care. ⬙

 

 

“Hahaha! What a ruckus!” He finishes rolling up the one pant leg. “‘Make a long story short’ and tell me what happened, Kanata-san~” ⬙

 

Chiaki pulls at Kaoru’s wrist, and Kaoru sighs. ⬙

 

 

“What happened?!” Chiaki is less graceful than Madara, somehow. ⬙

 

 

Kaoru waves a hand, and they slosh through the pool towards the steps as he speaks. “I fell, that’s all. The side was all wet, y’see...” ⬙

 

 

Kanata nods, pointing to Kaoru, cheeks still puffed. “It’s ‘true’... He ‘fell’ into the ‘pool’...” ⬙

 

Madara nods, too, looking back to the other two in the pool as he finishes rolling his pants up and dangles his legs into the water, too. ⬙

 

 

Kaoru manages to get to the steps, and Chiaki clings to his midsection. “M-Moricchi, c’mon, dude, I’m okay!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki doesn’t let up, being dragged. “Really? That’s what happened? How come it’d be wet on the side, huh? Are you fine? Scraped? Water in your ears? I’m sure there’s an infirmary somewhere in here, so—” ⬙

 

 

KANATA: “Chiaki...~”

 

 

KAORU: “Moricchi!” ⬙

 

Madara laughs as Chiaki finally pulls himself away from Kaoru, and Kaoru takes the steps out of the pool. Chiaki follows dutifully. ⬙

 

 

“Hahahaha! Chiaki-san, you were ‘barking up the wrong tree’, huh! Hahaha!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki’s eyes snap to Madara, widened, and he looks away a few moments later. “... Right, don’t worry about it, Mikejima-san.” ⬙

 

A second later, he’s back to smiling, clambering after Kaoru and nearly slipping, too, right on Kaoru’s heels. ⬙

 

 

“Hakaze—! Are you really okay? Let my burning passion—!” ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “Moricchi, yeah, yeah! Burning passion, right, I’m okay!” ⬙

 

 

Rei, behind Madara and Kanata, chuckles darkly. “My, my. It’s an interesting turn of events, don’t you think?” ⬙

 

 

HINATA: “Eh? Whaddya mean? Well, I guess it is, haha! Though Hakaze-senpai is probably not thinking that way! But it was fun to watch him go down!” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru wrings out his shirt’s ends, peeling the school jacket off. “Yeah, yeah, laugh all ya want or something, Sakuma-san. Anyway, I’m gonna go change—” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki jumps in front of him, holding a towel. “Here’s a towel!” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru makes a noise that Madara cannot even describe—one of surprise, at least. “W-What—Where’d you—” ⬙

 

 

CHIAKI: “I got it while you were talking!” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru laughs. “Jeez, thanks, I guess. Alright, anyway.” He takes the towel, rubbing out his hair, then tries to dry himself off as much as possible. ⬙

 

 

“I really AM going to go change now. You should too, Moricchi.” ⬙

 

 

“Kanata-kun~!” Kaoru makes his way over to Kanata and Madara, cautiously, so he doesn’t slip again, especially now that he’s sopping wet. “You got the card to the room, right?” ⬙

 

Kanata slips into the pool without a word. ⬙

 

 

Kaoru nearly slips as he tries to grab him before he can, eyes wide. “K-Kanata-kun—” ⬙

 

Rei chuckles again, and Hinata laughs. ⬙

 

 

“You should be used to this, Kaoru-kun.” ⬙

 

 

HINATA: “Sakuma-senpai is right, you know!” ⬙

 

 

Kanata wades further into the pool, smiling now. “Bubble, bubble... hehe...” He dips completely under. ⬙

 

 

Madara laughs. “Hahahaha! He’s always ‘doing something at the drop of a hat’, right? This is ‘up his alley’! Kanata-san~ Kanata-san, c’mon!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki pouts his lips, standing next to Madara and Kaoru. “Kanata, he’s all wet! I am too! We need the first card...! Or maybe...” ⬙

 

 

“... Do we REALLY need it? Why don’t—” ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “Yes, Moricchi, we need the card! What’re’ya even sayin?!” ⬙

 

 

HINATA: “How come? Don’t you guys have your own cards?” ⬙

 

 

That’s when Madara chimes in. “Ah! We haven’t been to our room yet, hahaha! Kanata’s the leader of the room, so he’s got the entry card.” ⬙

 

 

Hinata nods. “Ohh. Sakuma-senpai got our cards right away! But maybe that’s because he was trying to give his brother one of the cards...” ⬙

 

 

Rei chuckles for the third time. “Now, now. Let’s not talk about that.” ⬙

 

Kaoru has moved all the way back around the pool to the steps. Kanata has his head out of the water, up to his mouth, with the rest submerged, as Kaoru takes a step back into the pool. ⬙

 

 

“Kanata-kun, c’mon... Now I’m even MORE wet, all thanks to you!” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “Hahaha! Kanata-san, don’t be so mean.” ⬙

 

Kaoru gets all the way to Kanata, pulling at him gently to get him up and out of the water. Kanata smiles up at him and hands him the card. ⬙

 

 

“Kaoru, ‘congratulations’...~” ⬙

 

 

He leans up and smooches him right on the cheek, to which Kaoru’s face bursts with color. “R-Right, thanks—oi, is that why you made me come all the way in here again?” ⬙

 

 

CHIAKI: “HAKAZEEE! KANATAAA!” ⬙

 

Kaoru turns to Chiaki, then his eyes widen as he realizes the next words that are to come out of Chiaki’s mouth, especially as Kanata leans his head against Kaoru’s chest. ⬙

 

Madara’s laughing heartily. Chiaki’s got his hands cupped around his mouth as he yells, reverberating through the pool room. ⬙

 

 

“HAKAZE! KANATA! YOU SHOULDN’T BE DOING SUCH THINGS IN PUBLIC YOU KNOW! IT’S SOMETHING BEST LEFT FOR PRIVATE!” ⬙

 

 

REI: “He’s as loud as ever... Aha.” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” He waves a hand, too. ⬙

 

 

Kanata smiles lackadaisically at Chiaki. “Chiaki... It’s fine... We are ‘seeing each other’, after all...” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki gasps, face as red as a tomato. “I-I know, but, still, you shouldn’t, be displaying such precious affection, in front of everyone for all to see!” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru pulls away from Kanata. “Dude, it’s really okay,” he replies, even though his face is just as red as Chiaki’s from all the attention being drawn to them. “Got it? Anyway, I’m going to the room. I’ll get the others’ cards, too.” ⬙

 

 

Madara laughs and stands up, shaking his legs off to dry them as best as they can. “Chiaki-san, you’re just embarrassing yourself! Everything’s ‘right as rain’!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki stammers, “B-But, Mikejima-san—” ⬙

 

 

Madara pats him on the head as Kaoru drags himself out of the water. Chiaki flinches, pulling away and even taking a step back. “Aw, c’mon, let mama give you a hug~ Chiaki-san~” He opens his arms. ⬙

 

 

Chiaki takes another step back. “Ah, no thank you. I’ll... go with Hakaze to get changed! Alright!” He turns to Kanata. ⬙

 

 

“Bye, Kanata! Don’t stay in the water too long!” ⬙

 

 

“Sakuma, Hinata-kun! Watch over Kanata real quick please!” He claps his hands in front of him, bowing slightly. “I’ll be right back!” ⬙

 

 

Rei nods kindly, tilting his head to give a closed eye, elegant smile. “Of course. We must stick together... Get dry promptly.” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki leans back up, saluting. “Roger! Hakaze, let’s—” He turns, but Kaoru is already gone. “Uwah! Wait for me~ Hakazeee!” With that, he dashes out to the main room, leaving the pool area. ⬙

 

 

Madara, hands on his hips, looks between Rei and Hinata, and then Kanata. He laughs. “It’s an easy life here, isn’t it? We have to ‘make hay while the sun shines’, too, right, Rei-san?” ⬙

 

 

Rei eyes him, then nods, smiling still. “Of course, Mikejima-kun. Let’s all have some fun. I’ll stay here if you would like to leave. Hinata-kun will keep me company, as well, so do not worry about little old me.” ⬙

 

 

Madara salutes, too, mimicking Chiaki—or was Chiaki mimicking Madara? “Roger! I’ll go make sure everyone else is having fun!” ⬙

 

Of course, it’s not like someone like him can join in, but at least he can watch from the sidelines. ⬙

 

With that, he follows in Chiaki’s and Kaoru’s (wet) footsteps, glancing over his shoulder at Kanata one last time—though Kanata has his back turned to him, so he can’t see what his expression is. ⬙

 

[Everyone is just as he had left them](https://youtu.be/gUjtNoIsojk), though Adonis looks up at him as he re-enters the room. Madara gives him a big, big smile, nodding, signaling that everything really is okay. ⬙

 

He doesn’t feel like talking to Eichi right now, so he’ll get around to him later. It’s getting late in the afternoon, anyway, and Eichi should be getting tired from the trip up here. ⬙

 

So that leaves Natsume and company in the kitchen, Leo and company on the sofa, Adonis & Koga, and Kuro & Shu. ⬙

 

**Who should Mama check in on?**

  * Natsume & co
  * Leo & co
  * Adonis & Koga
  * Kuro & Shu



 

**> >> Natsume & co**

 

There was that little sound earlier, right? Coming from the kitchen, with the members of Switch in there. ⬙

 

He should probably go investigate that, though as he walks closer to the two-way kitchen door, he can hear them arguing on the inside as usual. ⬙

 

Madara pauses in front of the door before unceremoniously bursting into the kitchen. The door swings open into the kitchen and slams against the wall, but all Madara can do is laugh. ⬙

 

 

“Mama is here!” ⬙

 

Tsumugi makes the most characteristic, surprised, anxious sound Madara has ever heard. He jumps seven feet in the air, yelping and nearly falling down. ⬙

 

Natsume and Sora, meanwhile, just watch Madara. Sora seems a little bit more excited than Natsume, but Natsume looks at Tsumugi. ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “U-Uwah—! I—Madara-kun?” ⬙

 

 

There’s no hesitation. “No, it’s Mama! Hahahaha! Give Mama a hug, Tsumugi-san!” He opens his arms, taking a few steps inside and letting the door swing behind him. ⬙

 

Tsumugi can’t move fast enough, and he’s swept up into a tight embrace by Madara, who goes the extra step and even swings him around. ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “M-Madara-kun—” ⬙

 

 

Sora’s eyes sparkle. “HaHa! Sora wants to try, too! Senpai, let Sora try, let Sora try!” ⬙

 

 

NATSUME: “You’ll get siCK. That guy is already getting siCK.” ⬙

 

Madara doesn’t let up, even as Tsumugi starts whining, but he sets him down eventually. Tsumugi stumbles, falling to his knees in front of Natsume, head down, hair covering his eyes. ⬙

 

 

SORA: “HiHi, but Sora wants to try! Sora won’t get sick, because his colors are nice!” ⬙

 

 

“If Master says no, though, then Sora can’t try!” He looks at Natsume expectantly, who looks up from Tsumugi. ⬙

 

 

NATSUME: “... Very weLL. But senpai, stop when he starts to get siCK.” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Sora won’t get sick!” ⬙

 

 

Madara nods, opening his arms for Sora now. “He’s right! Sora-san won’t get sick, and I’ll be extra, super, really careful! That’s what a Mama does!” ⬙

 

Sora runs and jumps up into Madara’s arms, laughing gleefully as the latter spins him around a few times before setting him down. They both laugh, and Madara pats his head. ⬙

 

 

“See? Sora-san didn’t get sick at all!” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Sora didn’t get sick, Master~!” He puffs his chest out, proud. “Thank you!” He bows to Madara, laughing again. “Thank you!” ⬙

 

 

Madara turns to Natsume now. “It’s your turn! Come give Mama a hug!” ⬙

 

 

Natsume immediately picks up a pot from the stove, the contents inside still boiling. “Sorry, but it seems as though I am too preoccupiED.” ⬙

 

 

“Moreover, senpai here is still siCK.” He looks over the pot and down at Tsumugi, who waves a shaky hand. ⬙

 

 

 

TSUMUGI: “I-I’m... fine... ahaha... of course someone like me—” ⬙

 

Natsume moves, spilling a few drops of the cooling liquid onto Tsumugi’s back—not enough to truly do any harm besides a brief sting. ⬙

 

 

“A-Ah! Be more careful, Natsume-kun, so you don’t hurt yourself!” ⬙

 

 

Natsume sets the pot back on the stove. “...” ⬙

 

 

Madara, hands on his hips, laughs. “Ahaha! You’re having fun in here, huh? Like ‘three peas in a pod’!” ⬙

 

 

“Are you all alright, though? I thought I heard something earlier, like a small explosion! Or a firework...?! Is it a festival?! Kagiya...!” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Tamaya!” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “Kagiya!!” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Tamaya!!” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “KAGIY—” ⬙

 

 

NATSUME: “That is enouGH. You are being too loUD, Sora.” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “HiHi, sorry, Master! Sora thought it was fun!” He giggles. ⬙

 

Natsume shakes his head, though. “But, we were not making fireworks, anywAY.” ⬙

 

 

Madara mentally notes that Natsume looks like he now wants to make fireworks. ⬙

 

Madara leans forward, almost expectantly, looking around. The kitchen is a bit of a mess, with ingredients on the counter splayed out haphazardly and garbage strewn about. It almost looks like a lab. ⬙

 

 

But no, it’s not a lab. It’s a kitchen, and Madara laughs. “Were you cooking for everyone? What a big task you’ve undertaken!” ⬙

 

 

Tsumugi finally stands up, fixing his glasses, though he still shakes a bit. “Ah, yes, we—” ⬙

 

 

Natsume shoves at him gently. “We were nOT.” ⬙

 

 

Tsumugi’s brows furrow. “But we—” ⬙

 

 

NATSUME: “No, we were nOT.” ⬙

 

**Who should Mama side with?**

  * Natsume
  * Tsumugi
  * Neither



 

**> >> Tsumugi**

 

Madara knows that he really shouldn’t pick sides, but maybe this’ll be beneficial someday. He worked with Tsumugi during the live for Akatsuki—and there’s other reasons, too, perhaps. ⬙

 

 

“Now, now! No fighting in front of Mama! Tsumugi-san is right, isn’t he?” ⬙

 

Natsume looks away, towards the pot, but doesn’t do anything else. Doesn’t say anything else. ⬙

 

 

Tsumugi, meanwhile, smiles pleasantly. “... We were. It was his idea, too, but...” ⬙

 

 

Sora laughs quietly, going back over to the ingredients on the counter. “Sora helped, you know! Do you want to help, Madara-senpai?” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “Hahaha! Only if you call me Mama!” ⬙

 

 

Sora nods. “Alright! Sora will because your colors are like a mama’s! Very free and fun! Protective but... Hm... Sharp!” ⬙

 

 

Madara tilts his head, smiling. “Is that so? Good! I’m glad that Mama is Mama!” ⬙

 

 

Sora beckons him over. “Come up Sora chop up the ingredients! Master will finish up on the stove and senpai will... Uu... What’s senpai doing again?” ⬙

 

Tsumugi smiles, as Madara walks over to them, joining both of them. Natsume turns to the stove, back mostly to them, and checks the oven, too. ⬙

 

 

“Ah, I’m helping you, too, Sora-kun. I was helping first, even...” ⬙

 

 

Sora nods. “Right! Senpai, you help, too!” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “It’s a festival after all, isn’t it? Let’s have fun!” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Festival? Oh! That’s how Sora would really describe your colors, HaHa~ Kagiya!” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: They get back to work as Madara starts helping. “Tamaya! ... A firework, is it? I guess that suits me!” ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “Ah, Sora-kun, make sure you’re being careful with that knife...” Tsumugi laughs nervously. ⬙

 

After that, they all finish all their tasks, Sora and Madara chatting away. Eventually, they have a feast, suitable for all twenty people staying at this lakehouse. Is it even a house now? Or... is it more like a hotel? ⬙

 

Regardless, they make enough food to last a lifetime. ⬙

 

Everyone gathers around a large table in a room that serves as a dining room. It seats all of them, with exactly twenty chairs, five on each side. Madara made sure of it. ⬙

 

He, himself, sits on the end of one side. To his right, on the same side, is Leo, and to his left, on the next side, is Kanata. ⬙

 

 

[MADARA:](https://youtu.be/5cv85RhOu9o) “Alright! Thank you, Switch, for the delicious food~ It was all Natsume-san’s idea, too!” ⬙

 

 

Natsume sputters, but Wataru cuts him off before he can say anything. “Amazing...! ☆ You put a lot of work into it, Natsume-kun! So much LOVE...!” ⬙

 

 

Natsume, who’s sitting in between Wataru and Shu, looks down at his plate. “... Thank yOU, Wataru-nii-sAN.” ⬙

 

 

Tsumugi, who sits next to Sora on an end, with Sora next to Hinata, nods, too. “I think so too, Natsume-kun. Good job, both of you.” He continued, Madara notes, even when Natsume glared up at him. ⬙

 

 

“Oh, and Madara-kun, too.” ⬙

 

 

Madara waves a hand. “Now, now! I said ‘a thousand and one times’ to call me Mama! Besides, I didn’t do so much work as you’re making me out to be! Switch did most of it.” ⬙

 

 

Tenshouin, on the end next to Wataru, with the younger Sakuma brother on the next side to his right, speaks up next. “Well, regardless, why don’t we start eating?” ⬙

 

 

Wataru’s arms spread out, and a lone dove escapes his sleeve. “Eichi is right! Let us begin this delicious feast before it gets cold...!” ⬙

 

 

ADONIS: “There’s meat, so it looks delicious. Thank you.” Adonis, across from Tomoya, with Leo to his left and Koga to his right, looks pointedly at the other two Ra*bits on either side of Tomoya. ⬙

 

 

Koga snorts. “Yeah, yeah. That’s all ya ever talk about. Whatever, let’s dig in!” ⬙

 

 

Rei, on Koga’s right, frowns slightly. “You should mind your manners, puppy.” ⬙

 

 

Koga turns his nose up. “I won’t let ya ruin this good food for me!” ⬙

 

 

Chiaki, on the end next to Nazuna, with Tsumugi to his right on the next side, pipes up. “Oh, no fighting at the table!” ⬙

 

 

KOGA: “Who’s fightin’?!” ⬙

 

 

Kuro, to Shu’s left, with Rei to his left on the next side, sighs. “Oi, oi. Calm down already. It really is bad manners.” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru sighs. “Sorry he’s like this. If you just ignore him, he’ll calm down... or something.” ⬙

 

 

Shu frowns. “My, he really is a problematic child, is he not?” ⬙

 

 

KOGA: “Oi, why’s everyone gangin’ up on me now?” ⬙

 

 

KANATA: “Really, let’s all ‘eat’... and grow ‘healthy.’” ⬙

 

 

Ritsu yawns, rubbing at his eyes. “... mm. Let’s eat to sleep.” ⬙

 

 

Hajime, sitting on Ritsu’s right, nudges him gently. “Ritsu-senpai, don’t fall asleep at the table again... Didn’t you sleep all day, too?” ⬙

 

 

Tomoya frowns at both of them. “He’s always like that, right? Anyway, eating will make him feel better, too...” ⬙

 

 

Nazuna nods. “Tomo-chin’s right. Ritsu-chin, make sure y’eat somethin’, alrigh’?” ⬙

 

 

Sora laughs. “HaHa, everyone should eat~ Right, Hina-chan?” ⬙

 

 

HINATA: “Oh, right!” ⬙

 

 

LEO: “Right, right! Mikejimama, pass me that, pass me that~” ⬙

 

 

Madara laughs, passing him the food item he had wanted. “Eager, eager!” ⬙

 

After that, everyone really DID start eating—though a few, namely Koga and Kanata, had already begun even before that final exchange. A few people here and there talk to one another as everyone eats. ⬙

 

 

Chiaki pauses, having not said anything for a few minutes. “Ah, right. Kanata, Mikejima-san, Tsukinaga, here are your cards from before. The main card doesn’t work anymore... so use this!” ⬙

 

He pulls a small envelope out of his pocket, passing it down the line. Eventually, it reaches Madara after Kanata takes his out and looks up at it, holding it up to the light. Madara hands Leo’s his. ⬙

 

He looks over the card. He had been expecting a legitimate card, like the ones in overseas hotels, but it’s not—it’s more like a very lightweight smartphone, instead, complete with screen. ⬙

 

Tapping upon the screen illuminates it, and it shows his name, the current time, as well as a barcode down at the bottom, presumably for scanning to get into the room. ⬙

 

Above the barcode are a few lines, like when lights out and rising is, as well as sunset and sunrise. Lights out is apparently at eleven in the evening, and rising is eight in the morning. ⬙

 

So meticulous! ⬙

 

As he’s about to put it away in his pocket, clicking a button on the side of it to darken the screen, it makes a noise much like a small ringtone, though loud enough for everyone to hear. ⬙

 

[Or maybe that’s just because everyone else’s just went off too. ⬙](https://youtu.be/pR6H7gLMmAY)

 

 

Leo nearly drops his onto his plate in surprise as everyone else moves quietly to pull their own out. “Uwah! It’s a call! Pick it up, hello?” He holds it up to his ear. ⬙

 

Madara looks over at him, furrowing his brows. He looks back down at his own card, but it doesn’t seem like a call at all. Something he’d really never thought he’d see again is apparent on the screen though. ⬙

 

 

???: “Good evening, everyone. I trust that you’re having a happy dinner? Hahahaha!” ⬙

 

The text, time, and name has been erased, though the barcode still remains. In the place of the other stuff, though, is a distinct purple helmet. ⬙

 

Everyone stares down in confusion and surprise, some more than others. Madara looks first at Kanata, who has his head tilted and mouth open slightly, then to Chiaki down the line. ⬙

 

Chiaki’s frozen, but he sets the device down on the table, placing his hands in his lap. ⬙

 

 

???: “Hahaha! Everyone’s stopped the festival? I thought everyone was ‘on cloud nine’!” ⬙

 

 

The few third years at the table look up at Madara, who blinks, then laughs. “Hahaha! I guess we were, ‘til you interrupted!” ⬙

 

 

???: “Guess so! But that’s what I’m always doing, yeah? Interruptions are fun! ‘Spice of life’!” ⬙

 

“Anyway! Let’s get ANOTHER festival started, right? Right? Hahaha!” ⬙

 

“You all can call me P.A.P.A.” ⬙

 

 

SHU: “I would rather not.” ⬙

 

 

PAPA: “No, c’mon! It’s what I’m called, not just a nickname!” ⬙

 

“Anyway, did you guys know this is called the Calico House? I betcha didn’t, but don’t worry! I’m here!” ⬙

 

“Did you all ‘count your chickens before they hatched’? It’s a nice house, I’ll give you that!” ⬙

 

“It’s got an indoor pool on this very floor! And the kitchen on this floor too, and the gameroom in the basement! Then there’s the second and third floor with all the rooms!” ⬙

 

“There’s five people a room, so two rooms on each floor, and a common area for everyone to mingle in the mornings and nights!” ⬙

 

“Don’t go complaining about your room assignments, alright? Hahahaha! I tried my best!” ⬙

 

“Anyway, we’re going to start a special festival that everyone will enjoy, and that festival is the Festival of Four.” ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “Four...?” He looks worried. ⬙

 

 

PAPA: “Right! Four! Hahahaha! It’s a good number, isn’t it?” ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “I disagree... sorry.” ⬙

 

 

PAPA: “Well, no one really cares about someone like you, hahahaha! I always did think that!” ⬙

 

Tsumugi stiffens, looking away from the smartphone again. ⬙

 

PAPA: “Basically, during the Festival of Four, none of you can leave this place unless it’s just out to the lake, which is surrounded by a wall! Hahaha! This whole place is, actually! ‘No rest for the wicked’!” ⬙

 

“Every day starting tomorrow, four people will be chosen. See how that comes into play? It’s witty, right? Haha! These four people will be put to the test! It’s a big, biiig test that’s more like a festival, actually. Festival of Four!” ⬙

 

“The Festival each day lasts until at least one person has been eliminated. But the ‘big picture’ Festival goes on each day until there’s only one person still left celebrating!” ⬙

 

“The tests, like I said, will start tomorrow, and there’s no escape from this place at all.” ⬙

 

“‘Come rain or shine’, the Festival definitely starts tomorrow late afternoon. Haha! Get a good rest for P.A.P.A. tonight! It’ll be super fun!” ⬙

 

The helmet disappears after that, leaving the normal screen. Madara, and just about everyone else, looks down at it, staring, staring. ⬙

 

 

[It’s silent for only a short while. ⬙](https://youtu.be/BEJdklvia5I)

 

 

Eichi clears his throat. “... Well, have you got anything to say?” ⬙

 

 

WATARU: “Amazing! What a trick you pulled off! Tell us more about this Festival you invited us to without asking if we wanted to participate... ☆” ⬙

 

 

Madara can only laugh. “What? You think it’s a trick? That that was me? How quick you are to believe everything you see!” ⬙

 

 

REI: “Seeing is believing, after all, is it not?” ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “You were the one that invited us here, too. ‘Calico House’? Really?” ⬙

 

 

KANATA: “That’s ‘right’... What is this ‘Festival’...?” ⬙

 

 

KURO: “What does... What do you mean by eliminated?” ⬙

 

 

Madara waves a hand. “Hahaha! Now, now! One at a time, alright? I have nothing to do with this!” ⬙

 

 

NAZUNA: “Y’said it was a ‘bondin’ experience’ when ya asked me t’come... But what kinda experience happens in a locked house...?” ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “Pardon my imprudence... but who invited YOU, first?” ⬙

 

 

Madara hesitates, then laughs. “Trade secret!” ⬙

 

 

TSUMUGI: “Oh. I see, that’s fine then—” ⬙

 

 

EICHI: “Is it really, Tsumugi?” ⬙

 

 

SORA: “Sora thinks you all should stop ganging up on Mama!” Sora says, cutting through the air, before anyone else can say anything else. He puffs his cheeks out. “His colors are getting darker!” ⬙

 

 

RITSU: “... mm, but we can’t deny he’s suspicious.” ⬙

 

 

LEO: “Mikejimama wouldn’t lock us up! ... Right? How can we be so sure we’re locked up, anyway!” ⬙

 

 

Adonis rises to his feet. “... I will go check the doors. Everyone, please remain here.” ⬙

 

 

REI: “Puppy, go with him.” ⬙

 

 

Koga had been standing even before Rei finishes his sentence. “Yeah, yeah. I was gonna go anyway. Sit tight.” ⬙

 

The two leave the dining room, out back into the main room. Madara stands up, too, but Kuro also stands, making sure to make eye contact with him. ⬙

 

 

“Hahaha! I guess you guys can’t be too careful, right? Well, it’s fine~! Kuro-san, are you going to watch over me?” ⬙

 

 

KURO: “... Sure. Why not have a match for old time’s sake? Who can take the other down first.” ⬙

 

**What should Mama do?**

  * Accept
  * Decline



 

**> >> Accept**

 

 

“Haha, you want a match with me? Sure, sure! I think it’ll be fun, right? You’re the only one I can test my strength out on, after all! Have you gotten any stronger, Kuro-san?” ⬙

 

[Kuro pushes his chair in](https://youtu.be/9HJeHHkJ1-8) gently, politely, and looks down at Shu, who only frowns down at Mademoiselle in his lap. ⬙

 

 

“... Sure have.” ⬙

 

Both Kuro and Madara, as if they were sumo wrestlers sizing one another up, move away from the table at the same time. Though Madara maintains an air of casualness, with a smile, he’s definitely legitimately sizing Kuro up. ⬙

 

 

“That’s great! Me too! I studied more too!” ⬙

 

 

Kuro cracks a smile. “Really? Then it’ll be a fair fight. Maybe I can go all out on ya.” ⬙

 

 

Leo waves a hand out towards them. “Hey, hey, uchuu~ Don’t hurt Mama, okay?” ⬙

 

 

Kuro waves a hand, too. “... Fair fight, as always. Nothing more.” ⬙

 

Everyone’s eyes are on them. Sora tries to stand up, but Hinata grabs at him. Kuro and Madara remain facing one another, both in offensive stances, and then Madara kicks off. ⬙

 

 

A chair scrapes against the floor as someone ELSE manages to stand up, however. “Stop, stop, stop!” yells Chiaki. “Stop fighting! This isn’t a fair match at all!” ⬙

 

Madara doesn’t stop, but he does sidestep Kuro, who also moved. Kuro, on the other hand, legitimately stops, looking over at Chiaki. Madara pauses, though he remains at the ready, just in case. ⬙

 

 

“We don’t know anything about the situation! Mikejima-san is an Ally of Justice, even now! Why would he do this?” ⬙

 

 

KANATA: “... Can YOU really ‘say’ that, Chiaki...?” ⬙

 

 

The air falls cold and quiet as Chiaki chews on his lip. “... I can. I can and I will!” ⬙

 

 

Madara’s laughter fills the room. “Hahahahaha! Fine, fine! No fighting!” He holds his arms in front of him like an X. ⬙

 

 

Eichi pouts. “My, and we were just getting to the good stuff.” ⬙

 

 

WATARU: “My dearest Eichi, perhaps it would be best for no fighting after all!” ⬙

 

 

HAJIME: “Hibiki-senpai is right... It would be best if we all just stick together like this until we know what’s going on!” ⬙

 

 

Madara claps. “I agree, hahaha! When the other two return, we’ll know for sure!” ⬙

 

 

KAORU: “... Well, they’re certainly taking their time.” ⬙

 

 

REI: “They are, indeed, are they not? They’ll be fine, though.” ⬙

 

 

TOMOYA: “... M-Maybe... Someone else should go check on them.” ⬙

 

 

MADARA: “Oh, I’m Adonis-san’s captain, so maybe I should go?” ⬙

 

 

NAZUNA: “No, y’should stay ‘ere.” ⬙

 

 

Kaoru stands up, patting Kanata’s head lovingly once before taking a few steps back. “I’ll go. Sakuma-san, stay here with everyone else.” ⬙

 

 

REI: “Aha, be safe now. I’m not going anywhere. I’m far too weak to move.” ⬙

 

Kaoru brushes past Madara, who just smiles at him, and just as he does, the door to the dining room opens. Kaoru pauses, and Madara looks over his shoulder. ⬙

 

 

ADONIS: “... The doors and windows are locked thoroughly. The glass cannot even be broken, as we both tried.” ⬙

 

 

Koga looks like he really did try, too, though it seemed to have been effortless for Adonis. “Yeah. We really are locked in here. There’s a door down in the basement labeled ‘lake’, though, and that’s unlocked, but goin’ all the way out there... ya can see the walls there.” ⬙

 

 

ADONIS: “I apologize for taking so long. It was because we went out to check that we were late in returning.” ⬙

 

 

Rei smiles. “Don’t apologize. Thank you for checking, you two.” ⬙

 

Kaoru sighs, glancing back at Madara before going to stand near Kanata again, still close enough. Kuro remains close enough, too. ⬙

 

There’s a ding that comes from the card, and when Madara pulls his out again, the backdrop is now blue. A phrase reads across it: ‘The sun has set!’ ⬙

 

The time reads 19:43. ⬙

 

 

Madara stuffs it back in his pocket. “Oh! It’s dark out now, haha! We should clean up! Who wants to help?” ⬙

 

 

Natsume looks up. “Can you really just act like nothing is wroNG?” ⬙

 

 

Madara hesitates again. “... There’s really nothing to do besides wait for the Festival, right? Hahaha!” ⬙


	2. ⛩️ CHAPTER 0.5: PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER ⛩️

**> >> Tie**

This was supposed to just be a trip out with friends. A bonding experience, he said, to everyone he invited out. A week at a lakehouse that one of his clients was lending him. That’s all. ⬙

So how did they get locked in...? ⬙

How did he come under fire? ⬙

He’s almost certain this isn’t his fault. Even if it is, he’ll deny it for the time being until he figures something out. He just has to gather information right now. ⬙

It had been a long night. Everyone was wary to let him go, but the only saving grace he had had had been sharing a room with Chiaki and Kanata. Kanata had managed to convince Chiaki to watch over him. ⬙

Chiaki had absolutely lost all his composure when Kanata and Kaoru had gotten into one of the beds together, and he refused to get into a bed with Madara, but Leo was happy to share with him. ⬙

Chiaki slept alone, then. ⬙

And that brings everyone... to Day 2. ⬙

Madara woke up right at dawn, and Chiaki had followed suit. Actually, it looked like Chiaki didn’t sleep at all that much. Leo was still fast asleep, and surprisingly, Madara let him keep sleeping. ⬙

Kaoru had already left by the time Madara and Chiaki, who was still supposed to watch over him, had finished getting ready for the day. ⬙

Though you can get in and out of the rooms only with a valid card, you can leave at any time during the day and night, so although Madara and Chiaki had gotten done at around a little after eight AM, Kaoru had left prior to that. ⬙

MADARA: “[Hahahaha](https://youtu.be/OUpGltfOU10)! Let’s start the day all bright and early! ‘The early bird catches the worm’!” ⬙

He says that as Chiaki emerges from the bedroom once and for all, into the common room. Although Madara is smiling really big, Chiaki really isn’t at all. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Should you really be laughing so loudly after last night...? They all suspect you.” ⬙

Madara waves a hand, standing up from the sofa. It seems that those in the first bedroom—Eichi, Wataru, Ritsu, Tomoya, and Hajime—weren’t awake yet. ⬙

“And? Hahahaaa! It’ll all turn out just fine, Chiaki-san!” ⬙

Chiaki, however, doesn’t look convinced—he even looks uneasy. “... Alright. I trust you, because it’s you, Mikejima-san, but...” ⬙

Madara starts heading towards the stairs. “No buts! Anyway, let’s go see if anyone else is awake, haha!” ⬙

He starts descending, and Chiaki hesitates before following him. Eventually, they end up in the main room. ⬙

Besides Chiaki, there’s also Sora by the windows looking out, Kaoru scribbling something down on a piece of paper at a table, and Natsume cooking something in the kitchen. ⬙

**Who should Mama spend his time with?**

  * Chiaki
  * Sora
  * Kaoru
  * Natsume



**> >> Kaoru**

Madara checks what time it is first—8:27. Guess they took a bit longer getting ready than he would’ve liked, but oh well. ⬙

[He nods to Chiaki](https://youtu.be/6Io1_vtEhH8), then bounds over to Kaoru, slipping onto the sofa right next to him so quick that Kaoru—OR Chiaki—has literally no time to protest or even notice. ⬙

MADARA: “Good morning! Mama’s here!” ⬙

Kaoru drops the pen he’s holding, jumping three feet in the air. He even lets out an embarrassing noise of surprise, leaning away from Madara as much as he could. Eventually, he scoots a bit away. ⬙

Madara scoots closer, leaning in, encroaching upon his personal space. ⬙

Kaoru puts his hands on Madara’s shoulders, shoving at him gently. “Dude, what are you doing?” ⬙

Madara finally relents, leaning away, laughing from the stomach. “I wanted to see what you were doing!” He looks down at the paper on the coffee table. “A drawing?” ⬙

Kaoru blinks, picking up the paper and hiding it from him, folding it up. “Yeah. What of it?” ⬙

**What did Mama see?**

  * A blocky cat
  * A bento



**> >> A blocky cat**

****

Madara doesn’t yet reach for the folded up piece of paper, but he grins nonetheless. “It was a cat, right? So square! Are you an artist? Hahahaha!” ⬙

Kaoru huffs. “It wasn’t a cat! How much did you even see...?” ⬙

Madara laughs. “I saw it all! I think, hahaha! C’mon, show me, show me, and give Mama a hug while you’re at it!” ⬙

KAORU: “Uh, no, to both of those.” ⬙

**What should Mama do?**

  * Grab the paper
  * Hug him



**> >> Hug him**

Madara doesn’t hold back, and despite Kaoru’s obvious no to the hug, he throws his arms around him, taking him into a very tight embrace. ⬙

Kaoru lets out another surprised, embarrassing noise, freezing up, immediately trying to push away at Madara, but Madara has him in a vice grip. ⬙

“Moricchi~ I’m dying~!” he whines. ⬙

Madara laughs, pulling away. “Now, now! Everything’s fine! Hahaha!” He looks up at Chiaki, who’s taken a few steps towards them, stopping a little behind the sofa. ⬙

Kaoru whines again, shaking his head. “Jeez, man, you’re so touchy feely all the time... Cut it out—wait!!” ⬙

He stares down at his empty hands, then looks back up at Madara, who is in the middle of unfolding the paper. ⬙

“When did you—” ⬙

Madara laughs, standing up, finally unfolding the paper all the way. Now that he can get a clear look of it, with his back to Kaoru, he realizes it’s a floor plan of what seems to be the first floor. ⬙

“[Oooh](https://youtu.be/-9_sTTYXcwc)! Hahaha, what attention to detail, Kaoru-san!” Madara chuckles, looking over his shoulder at Kaoru. “It looks good, not a cat at all! You ‘went the whole nine yards’, huh?” ⬙

Kaoru huffs again, standing to try and grab the paper. “You shouldn’t be looking at it.” ⬙

Madara holds it out of his reach, turning sharply. “And why’s that? Hahahaha~! I’m as much of a victim as you are, here!” ⬙

KAORU: “Are you really?” ⬙

MADARA: “So that’s why you got up early, huh? To search the floor? Find anything interesting, hahaha?” ⬙

Kaoru sighs, giving up and sitting back on the sofa. Madara looks at the floor plan a little bit closer now. ⬙

“Not really... All the windows aren’t GLASS, I found, but some kind of hard plastic. There’s no way in or out except the front door, and that’s locked.” ⬙

“The locker room to the pool has showers and bathing suits, all labeled with our names. The kitchen is fully stocked for, like... three weeks, I guess, so long as that magician doesn’t use it all up.” ⬙

“The pool room itself has, like, those diving boards for professional swimmers. It’s pretty neat, actually. The pool’s fully heated, and it seems to automate all its chemicals.” ⬙

“The dining room’s got a fireplace that’s fake, so there’s no opening at the top. It just leads to the second floor’s floor. Other than that... there’s really nothing special, I think.” ⬙

“The hall’s a hall, and the foyer place just has the stairs. Nothing unique... I’m pretty sure.” ⬙

 **What should Mama ask about in detail?**  
The foyer  
The hall

**> >> The hall**

****

Madara pauses, then tilts his head. “... What are these markings in the hall? Did you get jittery? Hahaha! Have a steadier hand!” ⬙

There’s three markings on the area with the hall, scribbled in, but no notation. ⬙

Kaoru stands up again, looking around Madara to see what he’s referring to. “Oh, those things? No, they’re not accidents. They’re the paintings in the hall.” ⬙

MADARA: “Paintings?” ⬙

Kaoru nods. “Yeah... They’re three cats.” He points at the two on the right wall, looking towards the dining room. “These are two cats looking out at us, just sitting there. Uhh, calico, was it? Yeah.” ⬙

He points at the lone one on the opposite wall. “And this is a calico, too, I think, looking away, lounging on the ground.” ⬙

Madara nods, looking between the paper and Kaoru a few times. “... This means the owner of this place is a cat fan! Hahaha!” ⬙

Kaoru sighs. “No... Well, I guess. Hey, wait, shouldn’t you know?” ⬙

**Does Mama know if the owner is a fan of cats?**

  * They are!
  * They aren’t!



**> >> They are!**

****

Madara laughs. “Of course they are! Well, I really don’t know, actually, but it seems as much, right? Hahaha!” ⬙

Kaoru rolls his eyes, finally managing to grab the paper back from him. He sits back on the sofa, looking at his handiwork. “That doesn’t make you any less suspicious, y’know.”⬙

Madara looks between Kaoru and Chiaki, then back down at Kaoru. He laughs. Kaoru looks up at him, making a face that asks him what he’s laughing at. ⬙

**What should Mama talk to Kaoru about?**

  * Chiaki
  * Kanata
  * Yesterday
  * UNDEAD



**> >> Kanata**

[Madara laughs again](https://youtu.be/gUjtNoIsojk), especially at his look, and sits on the opposite sofa from Kaoru. He keeps his hands in his lap, smiling wide. ⬙

“What do you really think about Kanata-san, huh?” ⬙

Kaoru tilts his head. “... What d’ya mean?” ⬙

MADARA: “Like... Do you love-love-love him? Hahaha!” ⬙

Behind the sofa Kaoru sits on, in Madara’s plain view, Chiaki chokes on a gasp, quickly turning away. ⬙

Kaoru looks over his shoulder, at Chiaki, then back to Madara. “... W-Well,” he realizes the question he’d been asked, and his face blooms with color, “y-yeah, but why are you askin’ anyway?” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha! Young love is always so wonderful, hahahaaa!” ⬙

KAORU: “D-Don’t be so loud about it!” ⬙

Chiaki’s covering his face, still with his back turned to Madara. ⬙

“Why not, haha? It’s best to celebrate it!” ⬙

Kaoru heaves the heaviest sigh yet. “There’s no reasoning with you, is there? Kanata-kun was right about you—you’re nothing but a weirdo.” ⬙

Madara fakes a pout. “Ahaha! Think what you like about me! Mama is Mama!” ⬙

Kaoru shakes his head, folding the paper with the floor plan back up. “Well, whatever.” He looks over his shoulder. “Hey, Moricchi, are you—” ⬙

That’s when Chiaki turns around, pointing strongly at Kaoru. “HAKAZEEE!!!” ⬙

Kaoru winces. Chiaki’s face is beet red, and he even looks on the verge of tears. “Jeez! You’re BOTH so loud you could be twins!” ⬙

Chiaki keeps pointing. “H-HAKAZE!! You have to use your BURNING PASSION, with, with K-Kan, Kanata! O-Or—Or you’ll—” He cuts himself off, unable to proceed, covering his face with both hands. ⬙

Kaoru waves a hand. “Moricchi, will you cut that passion stuff out? You’ve always been like this with every couple you see. Stop before you hurt yourself.” A pause. “That sounds really awful, by the way. ‘Use your burning passion with Kanata!’ D’ya hear yourself?” ⬙

Chiaki lets out a gasp, then a squeak, and his knees seem to buckle beneath him; he falls to his knees, both hands on the back of the sofa. He shakes his head, trying to persevere. “H-Hakazeee...” ⬙

Madara, meanwhile, laughs. “Chiaki-san! Kaoru-san is right! Stop before you pass out from vertigo!” ⬙

Chiaki’s quiet for a few moments, then raises his head to look at Kaoru, then Madara. His face is still pretty red. “... L-Let your burning passion... guide you... Hakaze...!!” ⬙

Kaoru sighs, reaching back to pat his head. “Right, right. I will.” ⬙

Madara claps his hands. “Alright! Now that Kaoru-san is going to use his BURNING PASSION! with Kanata-san,” he stops to laugh, “let’s all gather round and wake everyone else up!” ⬙

**End freetime.**

A few other people have joined the main room by now—Adonis, Kuro, Shu, and Koga. ⬙

Madara leaps to his feet, hands spread wide. “Adonis-san~! Give Mama a hug!” ⬙

Adonis freezes in the doorway, and so does Koga—even more than Adonis himself. ⬙

“Captain, I don’t—” ⬙

It only takes a few large steps to cross the room to where Adonis is, and he sweeps Adonis up into his arms, hiking him over his shoulder. “Upsy-daisy!” ⬙

Koga takes a few steps back, in mild shock. “Wh-Wha—” ⬙

Adonis holds onto Madara, but he doesn’t struggle. “Captain, please put me back down. I do not want to be sick again.” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Okay, okay, hahaha! One last squeeze! One-two-hup!” He squeezes him before setting him back down on the floor, then sets his eyes on Koga. ⬙

“Koga-san!” ⬙

Koga immediately bolts to hide behind Adonis. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me!” ⬙

Madara laughs again. “Fine, fine! It’s fine, hahaha!” ⬙

[Their pockets ring.](https://youtu.be/Fgzh0syXhWI) Or, more specifically, the cards. ⬙

Everyone glances at one another, sharing such a look, before pulling their individual cards out. P.A.P.A.’s purple helmet of a face stares up at Madara, and he feels somewhat sick to his stomach. ⬙

PAPA: “Gooooood morning, hahahahaha! P.A.P.A.’s here!” ⬙

The happy atmosphere is instantly shattered. ⬙

PAPA: “Shu-san! Nazuna-san! Kuro-san! Aaaaand Adonis-san! You’re up first for tonight’s Festival of Four... ☆” ⬙

Adonis, the one closest to Madara of the four—with the one missing—looks taken aback, furrowing his brow. ⬙

Kuro, near the kitchen, also furrows his brows. “... And what’s that entail, huh?” ⬙

PAPA: “On the third floor, in the common room, there’s a hatch on the ceiling. Have someone tall pull it down, and go up the stairs into the fourth floor!” ⬙

SHU: “... A hidden fourth floor?” ⬙

PAPA: “The hatch will unlock at noon, hahaha! Then after that, the Festival can begin! Oh! Only the four chosen can come up, too. If you try to go up and you’re not chosen, something bad will happen! Hahaha! ‘Don’t poke the bear’!” ⬙

“Everyone else can watch the Festival here, in the Main Room. That television over in the corner will finally turn on, and you’ll all have a grand old time, hahahaha!” ⬙

“It’ll begin at 12:30! So once you’re ready and noon passes, head on up there! Once again, Shu-san! Nazuna-san! Kuro-san! And Adonis-san!” ⬙

With that, the helmet disappears, leaving the regular screen to stare back at Madara. ⬙

 


	3. ⛩️ CHAPTER 1: BREAK A LEG ⛩️

[Nazuna isn’t sure what to make of this entire situation. ⬙](https://youtu.be/jjDO91gNiCU)

After ascending the stairs to the fourth floor, he comes to a very small, dusty room with only one door. After he steps fully onto the floor, the stairs come back up, folding, and the latch locks. He must be the last one. ⬙

The room... Well, it really IS very, very small. It’s only big enough to allow the occupant to get to the door. So he does, looking at the door knob before finally turning it, opening it. ⬙

He’s greeted with more darkness, but at least he can tell there are people in here. He steps inside this new room—that just FEELS bigger—and shuts the door behind him. ⬙

As soon as he does, the lights come on. One, by, one, down the length of the large, long room. ⬙

On either side of the room are two pathways, while the rest of the room is filled with rocks, gravel, things like that. ⬙

At the end of the room, far on the other side, at the end of the pathways, are two ledges that will support only about three of them each, max. Before the ledges, though, the parts of the room with the gravel cut off, so you cannot go from one ledge to the next. ⬙

At each ledge, though, are doors. There seem to be five lines going across each door, but it’s too far away to tell what they actually are. ⬙

SHU: “This is tacky.” ⬙

Nazuna jumps at the sudden voice. He forgot there were other people in the room, especially Itsuki, having been so taken in by his new surroundings. ⬙

Nazuna’s eyes travel to Itsuki, standing near Kuro, near the left pathway, with his arms crossed and nose turned up. ⬙

Kuro, meanwhile, shakes his head. “Is that what you’re worried about? How the room looks?” ⬙

Shu scoffs. “Well, with how much effort they’re putting in, they could at least make it look more PLEASANT.” ⬙

Nazuna notes he’s holding Mademoiselle, too, and seems to be pointedly looking away from Nazuna himself. ⬙

Adonis, meanwhile, is near the rightmost path. He’s crouching down, inspecting the gravel and rocks and sand. Nazuna blinks, watching him, transfixed. ⬙

Suddenly being chosen for whatever this “Festival” is doesn’t sound exactly fun, but at least Nazuna’s not alone, to be honest. ⬙

A loudspeaker crackles to life, and P.A.P.A.’s distinct, cheerful, distorted voice sounds through. ⬙

“Welcome to the Festival of Four, Day One! Let’s give it up everybody for Day One! Hahahahah!” ⬙

Adonis stands up, waiting for the explanation, presumably. Shu continues to stare pointedly ahead at one of the doors, and Kuro crosses his arms. ⬙

P.A.P.A. continues to speak. “Alright! We’ll play the first festival game! It’ll be fu~un! It’s a bit different than normal festival games, but that’s what makes it the ‘spice of life’! Or something, hahaha!” ⬙

“There are two doors at the end of each path. Each room on the other side is only big enough for three people. One of the rooms will save you, while the other room will kill you.” ⬙

Nazuna feels very small, smaller than he usually does. ⬙

NAZUNA: “W-Wait, what d’ya mean, KILL us?” ⬙

KURO: “It’s gotta be a joke, right?” ⬙

NAZUNA: “It’s not gonna really kill us, ‘s’it, Kuro-chin?!” ⬙

PAPA: “This is totally luck based, you know! Hahaha! Or is it? Well, anyway, the paths are actually conveyor belts. Once you choose a path, you can’t stray from it, even if it’s ‘the path less traveled’, hahaha!” ⬙

“And if any one person doesn’t choose a path in twenty minutes, the ceiling will come crashing down, and you all will die! Hahahahaha! Exciting, exciting!” ⬙

“You can check your C.A.R.D. at any time for the remaining time.” ⬙

“And... The timer starts... hahaha, now! Go, go, go!” ⬙

[Nazuna pulls the C.A.R.D. out from his pocket](https://youtu.be/33P2Cm-7rMM), and sure enough, all that it reads, in white, digital text against a black background, is 19:52. 19:51. 19:50... ⬙

Shu turns to everyone else and says, “I will not be choosing first.” ⬙

NAZUNA: “Itsuk’, we don’t know what’ll happen either way!” ⬙

SHU: “Yes, and EITHER WAY, I will not go first.” ⬙

KURO: “Quiet, quiet, you two. Let’s proceed with a calm mind, got it?” ⬙

Nazuna takes a deep breath and nods. ⬙

Adonis points at the door across from where he is, not yet stepping onto a path—which have started moving, by the way. “A calm mind leads me to believe the lines are a hint.” ⬙

KURO: “I can’t see ‘em from here, though. Can anyone else?” ⬙

Everyone shakes their head no. ⬙

NAZUNA: “... So that means, at least one o’us gotta go down a path, right?” ⬙

Kuro makes a face. “... Most likely, huh.” ⬙

SHU: “And it will not be me.” ⬙

KURO: “Alright, alright, I get it. I’ll go.” ⬙

**What should Nazuna do?**

  * Stop him
  * Let him go



**> >> Let him go**

Nazuna opens his mouth to speak, but he can’t find the words. His eyes glance to Shu, whose fierce gaze is firmly set on Kuro, arms still crossed. It looks like he’s trembling. ⬙

He’s just as scared as Nazuna, isn’t he? Even though he’s putting on such a brave front. ⬙

Even so, it’s just like old times. It’s just like old times, that he can’t find these words, and he feels pain in his throat. ⬙

Shu reaches a hand out for Kuro’s arm. He clutches at the fabric of his shirt, and he pulls. ⬙

“... Don’t.” ⬙

Kuro turns to him fully, frowning slightly. “It’ll be fine. Don’t worry. I’m not gonna leave ya or nothin’. Have a lil’ more faith in me.” ⬙

ADONIS: “Time is running out,” Adonis says coolly. Nazuna turns to him. He still can’t find the words. “... I do not want to hurry, but if you do not go first, I will. It may be best if I do, anyway, since these types of situations...” ⬙

He means ‘life or death situations’, doesn’t he? Nazuna’s throat tightens even more. Why? ⬙

Why can’t he find the words he wants to say? ⬙

Shu clicks his tongue, turning his head down and away. He positions Mademoiselle as he usually does, and she speaks. ⬙

“‘Shu-kun says he’ll go first after all! To save everyone!’” ⬙

**Who will go first?**

  * Kuro
  * Adonis
  * Shu



**> >> Shu**

****

Shu abruptly lets go of Kuro completely, shaking his head. “... I will. I’ll go.” ⬙

Mademoiselle speaks again. “‘He’ll go! Shu-kun will go! He won’t take no for an answer!’” ⬙

He huffs, turning up his nose again. “Wait here. Have faith in ME.” ⬙

He turns so that he’s facing the center, in between both paths. ⬙

**What path should Shu take?**

  * Left
  * Right



**> >> Left**

Without waiting for any protests, Shu steps onto the left conveyor belt. He speeds up the process by walking down it, even as it moves. He passes the small hole in the flooring, then proceeds to the ledge. ⬙

KURO: “Oi, oi. Be careful, Itsuki.” ⬙

The lines are... a staff. ⬙

He ignores it for now and tries to open the door. ⬙

“... It’s locked.” ⬙

Nazuna finally finds his words. “... Wh-What...?! Whaddya—Whaddya—m, mean?” ⬙

ADONIS: “... I see. What are the lines?” ⬙

Shu takes a deep breath, looking back at the staff and notes. “... C-A-G-E, in musical notation, I presume.” ⬙

NAZUNA: “C-A... C-Cage...? You don’t mean...?!” ⬙

KURO: “Calm down. It could be a red herring.” ⬙

NAZUNA: “B-But we don’t know if, if, if it is or not!” ⬙

ADONIS: “You are correct.” ⬙

Adonis moves closer to Nazuna, patting him on the head as if he were an actual rabbit. ⬙

“... We have but two choices. It is a fifty-fifty, based on this information...” ⬙

KURO: “Listen... We got nine and somethin’ minutes left. We wasted enough time. So... Let’s choose where we’ll go.” ⬙

ADONIS: “Please hold on. We can go down the other path to see what it says. We should still have time.” ⬙

NAZUNA: “I-I ca-can do it!” ⬙

ADONIS: “You might be able to, but are you prepared to die for our sake?” ⬙

Nazuna freezes, staring at him with eyes as wide as saucers. “... Wh-What...?” ⬙

Kuro sighs. “If the one Shu went down is the right path, you’ll die, Nito. I’m not too keen on that idea.” ⬙

**What should they do?**

  * Send Nazuna
  * Send Kuro
  * Send Adonis
  * Don’t send anyone; chance it



**> >> Tie; Send Nazuna, Send Kuro, Send Adonis**

****

Nazuna nods. “... I... I’m going.” ⬙

He steps out onto the path, looking down at the conveyor belt floor as it moves. He refuses to look up. ⬙

Kuro tries to grab him from behind. “Nito—!” ⬙

Unfortunately, he takes a step onto the path, locking his decision. “... Shit, c’mon...” ⬙

Nito shoves at him. “Y-Ya, ya should’ve s-stayed b-behind, Kuro-chin!” ⬙

Kuro sighs, letting him go, but he has to stay on the conveyor belt. He looks up at Shu, who looks worried as hell, even Nazuna can see that. “... It’ll be fine. Promise.” ⬙

“Y-Ya were gonna try and sa-sa-sacrifice y’self, s-so y-ya shouldn’t have had the r-right, right to stop me!” ⬙

For some reason, ⬙

after weighing his decisions, ⬙

Adonis steps onto the path too. “... Nito-senpai may be correct, and we really do not have time.” ⬙

Shu clears his throat. “Hurry up and get there already. It’s good that I’m the only one here after all. Though ‘cage’ has me worried...” ⬙

“If I die, I die. So be it. I knew the chances when I took this path.” ⬙

He hesitates, looking away. “... I...” ⬙

Nazuna huffs, running the rest of the way to the end of the pathway, nearly slipping and falling onto the ledge. Kuro chases after him, and Adonis jogs after both. ⬙

Shu sighs. ⬙

The trio read the staff and the notes. ⬙

“D.” ⬙

“E.” ⬙

“A.” ⬙

“D.” ⬙

Nazuna reads the notes breathlessly. ⬙

Everyone is silent. ⬙

The doors unlock audibly. Both of them. ⬙

ADONIS: “... I see. This... This is...” He looks down and away, as if he can’t process what’s happening too quickly. “... Oogami,” he says loudly, looking back up, “sorry.” ⬙

Kuro clicks his tongue as Nazuna stands there in disbelief, frozen solid. He looks over at Shu, across the way, who stands just as frozen as Nazuna, clutching Mademoiselle tightly. ⬙

“... Itsuki, if this is the wrong door... sorry. I shoulda been more careful.” He pauses, and he sighs. “... Sorry,” he repeats. “Get outta here and take care of my sis, will ya?” ⬙

“... And... And I love ya, truly.” ⬙

Shu looks down at the floor, trembling. ⬙

SHU: “... You’re talking as if that door truly is the bad one. So be quiet, and... And I’ll show you.” ⬙

He places his hand on the door knob of his own door—the one that reads CAGE. ⬙

NAZUNA: “W-W-W-Wait!” ⬙

Shu pauses, not yet opening the door, but he doesn’t say anything, and he doesn’t look away from the musical notes. ⬙

Nazuna stands on the edge of his ledge, as far as he can get without stepping off. “... I... I... I...” ⬙

“... I-Its’ki, I... I forgive y-ya... a-and hope... that no matter w-what, we find happiness.” ⬙

[Shu visibly grits his teeth](https://youtu.be/R4i_DUrYJ6w), closing his eyes, and nods. He looks up to Kuro, then looks away. “... Kiryuu!” ⬙

And he says, not in Mademoiselle’s voice, but his own, in a tone very, very quiet, a tone that is reserved for only this room: ⬙

“... I... love you too.” ⬙

He opens the door. ⬙

Confetti falls, as does a banner that reads ‘CONGRATULATIONS!’ ⬙

Shu opens his eyes again—he had been bracing himself—as nothing happens. He blinks several times. ⬙

Kuro chuckles. “... Heh. Guess I was right, huh?” ⬙

“I’ll open the door on the count’a three.” ⬙

“One.” ⬙

ADONIS: “... Oogami, I really am sorry. Please forgive me. Please tell my family I am sorry, as well.” ⬙

“... To Sakuma-senpai... Forgive me, as well. I miscalculated.” ⬙

SHU: “W-Wait!” ⬙

Kuro places his hand on the doorknob, turning it slightly. ⬙

“Two.” ⬙

SHU: “I-I said wait, you—” ⬙

NAZUNA: “Oshi-san.” ⬙

Shu freezes, looking at Nazuna rather than Kuro. ⬙

It feels weird to call him that, Nazuna thinks, nowadays, anyway. But for old time’s sake, maybe. ⬙

“I-I mean it... F-Find yer h-happiness!” ⬙

He reaches up, wiping at his eyes. ⬙

Shu swallows, and he nods. He wipes at his own eyes, turning back to Kuro. “... Th-There has to be a trick. Kiryuu, don’t—” ⬙

KURO: “Three.” ⬙

[Kuro goes to open the door](https://youtu.be/lPV60lb1WXg), but he pauses. “... I love ya, again... Shu.” He sighs. “Tell Akatsuki I’m sorry. Tetsu, too.” ⬙

He opens it. ⬙

There’s a cranking noise, and the ceiling above them moves. It happens so fast—Nazuna has no time to react at all. ⬙

It comes crashing down as if it weighed fourteen tons, all at once. ⬙

He does manage to hear a scream from Shu, though, before it actually hits him. ⬙ 


	4. ⛩️ CHAPTER 1.1: INTERMISSION 1 ⛩️

[Madara Mikejima sits. ⬙](https://youtu.be/7j2cNGej9PI)

Well, he doesn’t really have a choice right now. ⬙

Kaoru had managed to find some rope in the kitchen, and so Madara sat with it around his wrists and ankles, tied tight. He had even given some pointers on tying, but Kaoru only made them tighter. Good boy. ⬙

Leo sits next to him, frowning. He closes his eyes, folding his hands behind his back and his legs out in front of him. ⬙

Madara laughs. “Hahaha! What are you doing, Leo-san? You don’t have any rope at all on you!” ⬙

Kaoru, who stands watch over him from in front, frowns, too. “Oi, oi. Shut up if you’re not gonna answer my questions.” ⬙

Madara looks up at him, smiling widely. “‘Easy does it’! What questions?” ⬙

KAORU: “The questions I just asked you?” ⬙

Madara tilts his head. Leo follows suit. ⬙

MADARA: “Oh! Did you want me to answer them? Well it looks like someone’s certainly ‘on the ball’ with what they want!” ⬙

The door to the main room opens and closes, and Kanata walks up behind Kaoru, then to the side. He tilts his head, too, in a similar fashion to both of the ones on the floor. ⬙

“Has ‘Madara’ finally started to be ‘read’ as ‘murderer’...?” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Hey, hey, what do you mean by finally? Hahahaha!” ⬙

KANATA: “You’re nothing but ‘a rogue’ that causes ‘trouble’ ‘wherever’ he goes.” ⬙

LEO: “Hey! He’s a rogue, but he’s not a murderer! ... I’m pretty sure!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahaha, are you even starting to doubt me, Leo-san? Yet you’re sitting so pleasantly next to me!” ⬙

Leo seems to think about it for a second, then scoot just slightly away. He doesn’t cease his pantomime of being tied up, though. ⬙

Madara grins up at Kaoru and Kanata both. “He’s right, though. I’m no murderer, hahahaha!” ⬙

KANATA: “Then what is ‘going’ on? You are the one who ‘decided’ on this ‘place’.” ⬙

KAORU: “You’re the one that brought us all here, yeah! In the first place, you invited us all for a bonding experience, or whatever, and look what happened.” ⬙

KANATA: “People are ‘dead’, rogue.” ⬙

“Stop ‘playing’ games.” ⬙

Madara only grins. “Just because I invited you here doesn’t mean I got a clue as to what’s going on! Hahaha! I told ya, I’m just as ‘in the dark’ as you are!” ⬙

KAORU: “... Can you at least ACT remorseful?” ⬙

MADARA: “Oh, sorry! Uwah, I’m so sad~ How’s th—” ⬙

Kaoru reaches forward and grabs his hair, pulling at his face. Leo jumps forward, trying to pull Kaoru off of him. Madara grits his teeth, closes one eye, but he doesn’t stop smiling. ⬙

It’s not a smile anymore, though—it’s a dare. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Mikejima-san, please stop it.” ⬙

Madara’s eyes slide over to Chiaki, who looks as though he’s been crying. His eyes are red-rimmed, with tear streaks down his cheeks, drying slowly. He emerges from the doorway into the main room, standing next to him. ⬙

He waves a hand, and both Leo and Kaoru let go of him. Kaoru clicks his tongue, looking away. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... We don’t know if he really has anything to do with this.” ⬙

KANATA: “... Chiaki, why are you ‘defending’ him?” ⬙

Chiaki pauses, then looks down at Madara. “... Like I said, we don’t know if he has anything to do with this. You all were in the room, right? With him. As we... As we watched...” ⬙

“Everyone that was left... watched...” He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “... So how could it have been him?” ⬙

Madara grins again. “Bravo, bravo! He’s right. I couldn’t do anything, since you all had ‘my hands tied’! There’s absolutely no way I could’ve done it, hahahaha!” ⬙

“I was even with Adonis-san and the others when the names were called! I couldn’t do it at all!” ⬙

KAORU: “... Then why is everything related to you? Calico this, calico that... Yet you say this is just a random client’s house.” ⬙

MADARA: “Isn’t it obvious? Hahahaha! Someone’s trying to frame me!” ⬙

Kaoru moves to grab him again, but Leo throws himself in front of Madara, grabbing Kaoru’s hand. He’s practically sitting in Madara’s lap now. “Stop! Stop, stop, stop!” ⬙

“You’re just asking the same questions over, and, like, over? You’re gonna get nowhere if you keep doing that to him!” ⬙

MADARA: “L-Leo-san, you—” ⬙

Leo huffs, letting go of Kaoru. He shifts so he’s facing Madara, and Madara feels vaguely uncomfortable as Leo’s knees dig into his thighs. ⬙

“Leo-san, at least—” ⬙

Leo doesn’t even stop, reaching behind Madara. He leans up so that half of his chest is pressing against Madara’s shoulder, leaning over. He starts untying the ropes around his wrists. ⬙

Kaoru moves in to grab Leo by the shoulder. “Oi! What do you think you’re doing—” ⬙

Madara lowers his voice, but he still smiles up at Kaoru. “Don’t touch him intending to hurt him. I’ll never forgive you if you do, hahahaa!” ⬙

KANATA: “Can you really ‘say’ that to him?” ⬙

Madara winces—though it’s from Leo shifting again to get a better grip now that Kaoru let go of him again. ⬙

“Of course I can! Why can’t I? Hahahaha!” ⬙

“I’m Mama, after all! I’ll take care of those precious to me!” ⬙

Kanata frowns, glances at Chiaki, who turns away completely now, covering his face with his hands, shoulders shaking slightly, then back at Madara. ⬙

“... Those ‘precious’ to you have already been ‘broken’.” ⬙

“Or do you want to ‘break’ the pieces, too?” ⬙

MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙

Madara swallows thickly, but he never loses his smile. ⬙

Leo leans back up as Madara feels his wrists free, even if they hurt like hell now. ⬙

“Uchuu~! I did it!” ⬙

Madara wraps his arms around Leo’s waist, trying to shift him so he wasn’t pressing his knees down into Madara’s thighs still. ⬙

He laughs. “Thank you, now why don’t you settle on down next to me again, or at least—hahaha, how about this?” ⬙

He pulls his hands away slightly, and before Leo has time to realize what he’s doing, hikes him over his shoulder, shifting so he can lean forward and untie the rope around his ankles with the free hand. One hand remains firmly around Leo. ⬙

Leo laughs. “Oh! Flying like a spaceship, I guess~ Uchuu~” ⬙

Madara smirks up at Kaoru as he speaks. “Uchuu, Leo-san... ☆” ⬙


	5. ⛩️ CHAPTER 1.5: PIECE OF CAKE ⛩️

**> >> O**

He had had trouble sleeping last night, for no good reason at all. Though maybe that’s his way of mourning, he thinks. ⬙

Even with Leo pressed up against him, clinging onto him and mumbling in his sleep occasionally, Madara couldn’t be bothered to fall asleep. Even with the warmth, even with the security. ⬙

By the sound of it from the other end of the room, Chiaki, tossing and turning, didn’t get much sleep, either. ⬙

Madara had promised he wouldn’t do anything to wake them up during the night—and with Chiaki’s and Leo’s insistence, that was enough to get them to let him just try to sleep peacefully. ⬙

‘It’ll be better if you all are rested anyway!’ he had quipped with a laugh. Somehow that didn’t help. ⬙

So now, everyone would begin Day 3. ⬙

[He waits](https://youtu.be/OUpGltfOU10) until the C.A.R.D. on the nightstand beeps, signaling it was eight in the morning, before he moves, but he makes no commitments. ⬙

Kaoru had already gotten up and left, presumably to the common room with the door to the bedroom still open to watch, as did Chiaki—Kanata followed soon after, trailing after Chiaki—before Madara finally makes his move. ⬙

He leans up, Leo still clinging to him like a monkey. In fact, he moves even closer. Madara chuckles to himself, petting Leo’s hair, and uncharacteristically gently, he kisses his forehead. ⬙

That wakes Leo up, but not all the way. ⬙

LEO: “Uwah~ Uchuu... Uu... What’s going on... Are you here to abduct me?” he asks, sleepiness present in his tone. ⬙

Madara chuckles again—then leads it up into a big laugh. “No, no! Not today, Leo-saaaan! Maybe one day I’ll kidnap you across the globe again!” He tries to peel him off. “C’mon, c’mon, up and attem~ I’ll abduct you to the bathroom, though! Hahahaaa!” ⬙

In times like these, it’s hard to believe what had happened the previous day. ⬙

It’s weighing on him, and on his mind, and on his shoulders, but for now, he picks the Leo that looks like he’s about to fall back asleep up and genuinely does drag him to the bathroom to get ready for the day. ⬙

By the time all is said and done, and they’re on their way to the main room, it’s around ten after nine. ⬙

There are only a few people present again. He wonders idly where everyone is right now, probably sleeping or getting ready, but for the time being... ⬙

There’s Wataru, setting up a table with a tea set for two people. Tsumugi is is at another table in a different corner, playing with some cards. Finally, there’s Ritsu on the sofa, curled up in a different way than yesterday, sleeping soundly. ⬙

**FREETIME!**  
Who should Mama spend his time with?

  * Wataru
  * Tsumugi
  * Ritsu
  * Leo



**> >> Tsumugi**

Madara leaves Leo in the dust, bounding over to Tsumugi, sliding up into the chair across from him. Tsumugi is so startled that he drops the cards everywhere on the table. ⬙

“[Good morning](https://youtu.be/_1JyIa20Qk4), Tsumugi-saaan! It’s Mamaaa~! Do you want a hug? Give Mama a hug!” ⬙

Tsumugi looks startled, still, like a deer in headlights, and shakes his head. “Ah, sorry, but you made me spill everything, and I’d rather not touch you—” ⬙

Madara leans across the table, taking Tsumugi into a hug whether he likes it or not. “Hahaha! It’s a good morning hug! Good for all, good for the skin, good for your health!” ⬙

Tsumugi doesn’t struggle at all, but he doesn’t hug back. “... You’re going to crush me if you hold onto me any tighter, Mikejima-kun. Please mind your strength...” ⬙

Madara pulls away, laughing, hands on the table. “Yeah, yeah! Sorry~ Hahahaha, you’re right! I won’t deny it! But maybe you should just get stronger, haha!” ⬙

He ends up breaking people when he’s not even meaning to, after all. ⬙

Tsumugi looks pensive for a split second before shaking his head. “... You’re too strong, so get weaker.” ⬙

Madara waves a hand, laughing again. “Sure, sure! ‘Live and learn’! Hahahaha! Anyway, what are you doing?” ⬙

He looks down at the table scattered with various cards. Because of the way Tsumugi had been holding them, they all landed face down. The backs are very ornate and dark red. ⬙

Madara reaches for one, intending to pick it up, but Tsumugi grabs his wrist almost immediately. ⬙

“Ah, sorry, but you can’t!” ⬙

Madara raises a brow, leaving his hand hovering over one of the cards even when Tsumugi withdraws his own. “Oh? Hahaha! Why not? C’mon, I’ll help you pick ‘em up!” ⬙

Tsumugi sighs. “... I’m not confident in my skills yet, so I don’t want to offer you something I’d be terrible at.” ⬙

Madara contemplates for a second, realizing what the cards are. ⬙

**Pick up a card?**

  * Pick it up
  * Don’t pick it up



**> >> Pick it up**

Madara ignores what protests Tsumugi might have, and he picks up the card his hand had been hovering over for a few seconds now. ⬙

 

Madara tilts his head. “Oh! It’s as I thought. I knew you did stuff like this, Tsumugi-san! Hahaha!” ⬙

Tsumugi looks contemplative again, then sighs. “... I told you I’m not very confident. You’re very callous to pick it up anyway.” ⬙

MADARA: “Nonsense! Hahaha! You only get better by doing! So ‘spill the beans’! What’s this one mean, huh? Hahaha!” He flashes the card at him. ⬙

Tsumugi frowns. “... I really don’t think I can.” ⬙

Madara turns the card back to him to look at it again. “As I said, nonsense! It’s the Sun, so it says here, and I’m curious! Is it saying I’m like the sun? Hahaha! Like a Mama!” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Not quite. You don’t know anything about it, I guess. It’s supposed to mean good fortune... so I hope that’s what it means here. But it also is about... I think... connecting yourself to your power within, maybe. ... I told you I’m no good.” ⬙

Madara laughs, handing him back the card. “Hahaha! Good fortune, huh? I hope so! Now do a proper reading! Okay, okay? Hahahaha! Exciting, exciting!” ⬙

Tsumugi looks down at the cards still scattered about, then sighs a few seconds later. “If it will get you to leave, then fine. You’re too loud this early in the morning, and it’s hurting my ears.” He smiles as he starts picking up the cards. ⬙

After shuffling and setting them down, before Madara are three cards, lined up from left to right. Tsumugi sets the Sun card down on a space to Madara’s left. ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Um... Think of a question. That’s how this works. And the cards answer it for you.” ⬙

Madara thinks reaaally hard for a second, then laughs. “Alright! Hahaha, I got it! It’ll be about this place!” ⬙

Tsumugi nods. “Okay... I won’t count the Sun card since you picked it up without asking, when you weren’t supposed to. The card next to it, though, will represent the situation. Then the card next to that will be the action you take... then the final card is the outcome.” ⬙

“But... please keep in mind I really am not good at this, haha... Natsume-kun usually answers my questions about it. You should ask him instead.” ⬙

“Someone like ME could give you bad fortune, after all.” ⬙

Madara laughs. “You’ll do fine! If not, then I’ll go tell Natsume-san all about how you need more training!” ⬙

Tsumugi nods. “I really do need more training, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it...” ⬙

Madara doesn’t listen to him ramble on, instead going to flip the first card. ⬙

**Which hand should Mama use to flip it?**

  * His left
  * His right



**> >> His right**

Madara flips the card over with his right hand, smiling brightly. ⬙

 

Tsumugi pauses, looking at the card. To him, it appears upright, but it seems he quickly realizes that to Madara it’s reversed. ⬙

“Reversed... Magician.” ⬙

MADARA: “Oh! Hahahaha, magician, like Natsume-san?” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Well, haha, I suppose, but not quite. Don’t be stupid.” He smiles pleasantly. “This is different from Natsume-kun, especially since it’s reversed...” ⬙

“It can mean manipulation... or poor planning. Confusion, deceit... If this is the situation around us, then... It’s safe to say the confusion is what’s going on, I think... I’m probably wrong.” ⬙

Madara thinks for a moment. He doesn’t know if he really believes in this kind of stuff, but he’ll pretend for a few more moments. ⬙

Confusion and deceit? Poor planning? Hahahaha. ⬙

“Hahahahahaha! I see, I see! This is so exciting, Tsumugi-san! Thank you so far! I agree. It certainly is confusing!” ⬙

Tsumugi nods. “Right... Haha, I’ve been confused ever since I came here, but I guess that’s nothing new.” ⬙

Madara waves a hand. “Alright! Let’s do the next one! That’s the solution, right? Maybe it’ll clear up the haze! ‘So far, so good’!” ⬙

**Which hand should Mama use to flip it?**

  * His left
  * His right



**> >> His left**

Madara flips the card over with his left hand, still smiling so brightly. When he sees the words, however, his smile falters for an immeasurably small amount of time, then he laughs. ⬙

 

Tsumugi frowns. “What are you laughing at?” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahaha! It’s just funny, don’t you think?” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “You don’t know what it means, though.” ⬙

MADARA: “From the picture, I can guess it means you guys are gonna tie Mama up again! Hahahaha! Will it be you, Tsumugi-san? I wonder if you ‘have the guts’!” ⬙

Tsumugi shakes his head. “... No, I probably don’t. You’re too strong; you could kill me in an instant... Well, what it REALLY means,” he says pointedly, “is that... you need to slow down. I think that’s very helpful advice for someone like you.” A smile. ⬙

“You need to think about the consequences and pause... Don’t try to force anything.” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Really? I always think before doing things!” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “You don’t seem like you do.” ⬙

Madara laughs even louder. “You’re right! Sometimes I don’t, but sometimes I’m careful! Right now I’ll flip this final card over without remorse!” ⬙

**Which hand should Mama use to flip it?**

  * His left
  * His right



**> >> His left**

Madara flips the card over before Tsumugi can stop him to try and get him to think about things—well, it was going to happen anyway, eventually, flipping this card over. ⬙

 

Tsumugi immediately gasps, looking horrified. “Awawa~! I knew it! I really would give you bad luck!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Did you? Hahahaha! You’re panicking like the ‘world’s on fire’! Hahaha! C’mon, c’mon, what’s this one mean, huh? Or do you need a hug from Mama first?” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “No hugs, or else you’ll just get unluckier...! It’s... Upright Tower, so... So it really isn’t good! I shouldn’t have done this after all. You should’ve asked Natsume-kun!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahaha! C’mon, just tell me what it means~ I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it out to be!” ⬙

Tsumugi frowns down at the cards, as if he’s scorning the card itself. “... The Tower represents, I think, sudden change... but it’s also associated with disaster, more so than not. The sudden change isn’t always good... Usually not, I think... Ahh, I’m sorry!” ⬙

Madara pauses. “... Disaster, huh? Hahahaha! Well, no need to worry! There’s nothing Mama can’t do!” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Don’t be so carefree with this sort of spread...! Ah, it’s all my fault! I knew this would happen...!” ⬙

MADARA: “Now, now! If I don’t do that solution, the disaster won’t come, right? So I’ll keep charging on ahead without thinking, as usual! Hahahaha!” ⬙

It’s Tsumugi’s turn to pause. “... M-Maybe. Ah, I should go consult Natsume-kun. He’ll know how to fix this.” He stands abruptly. “I’ll be going now. Don’t be so brash, still... It’s good advice for you, either way...” ⬙

But before Madara can stop him, before he can do anything, Leo comes and stops him instead, jumping out from behind Madara. ⬙

“Pah!” ⬙

Tsumugi screams. ⬙

Madara laughs. “Leo-saaan! I knew you were there, but poor Tsumugi-san didn’t! You’re going to ‘give him a heart attack’!” ⬙

Leo leans forward, both hands on Madara’s shoulders. “Granny~ That’s what he is! He looked like he was having a heart attack anyway, didn’t he?” ⬙

Tsumugi takes a few deep breaths. It seems he’s dropped some of the cards again, and there are four that are scattered about on the table. ⬙

“Even if he did, you just gave him two heart attacks! Were you trying to kill him? Hahahah!” ⬙

Tsumugi works on picking up the cards that fell on the floor, crouching down. “I didn’t have a heart attack, but maybe it would have been great for someone like me... Getting scared to death...” ⬙

“Sorry I couldn’t even die correctly...” ⬙

LEO: “I wasn’t trying to kill you, silly! Mikejimama, tell him!” ⬙

Madara’s far more fascinated with the cards on the table though. While Tsumugi’s on the floor picking up the others... ⬙

**What card should Mama pick up?**

  * First
  * Second
  * Fourth
  * None



**> >> None**

No, no, he shouldn’t. He laughs, standing up just as abruptly as Tsumugi had, knocking Leo back slightly. ⬙

Turning around, he says: “Oops, sorry, sorry~ Here, come here!” He grabs at Leo’s face with both hands, squishing slightly, and kisses him very chastely, just a peck. “Al~l better, Leo-saaan!” ⬙

**End freetime.**

****

Leo blinks, not reacting to the kiss until after Madara pulls away. “Wahahaha!” he laughs. “I love you, love you! It’s fine! Oh, let’s go get breakfast, I’m so hungry! I made some!” ⬙

He grabs at Madara’s hand and starts pulling him. Before Madara gets all the way taken away by Leo, he laughs, looking over his shoulder as Tsumugi finishes shuffling the cards again neatly. ⬙

“Leo-san, I’m coming~ Don’t pull, don’t pull! Here, here!” He pulls at Leo, pulling him closer before lifting him up over his shoulder. “Hahaha! ‘Like a sack of potatoes’!” ⬙

Leo laughs, falling limp almost comically. “Uchuu~ Okay!” ⬙

Then, of course, the happy time must end. ⬙

Before they get to the kitchen, barely close at all, the C.A.R.D.s in their pockets ring, and both of them freeze. Leo clutches onto Madara’s shirt a little tighter. ⬙

Madara doesn’t set him down. Instead, he waits as the few others—Eichi’s joined Wataru now, and as well as Hajime; Rei and Hinata are sitting, a bit troubled, in a corner; Natsume’s just gone to the kitchen himself—to bring out theirs. ⬙

PAPA: “Hahahaha! Good morning! P.A.P.A.’s here!” ⬙

“I’m sure you’re all excited to start a new Festival game, tonight! It’ll sure be fu~un! Hahahaha!” ⬙

“But ‘don’t bite off more than you can chew’, alright? Hahaha!” ⬙

EICHI: “Again...? Troubling.” ⬙

“Anyway, the super lucky four that’ll put on a show for us today...” ⬙

“Hajime-san! Tomoya-san! Leo-saaan! And Mama!” ⬙

Madara’s blood runs cold, and he finally sets Leo down, very gently. He pulls out his own C.A.R.D., frowning at it. ⬙

HAJIME: “... Eichi-onii-chan... what... did he say...?” ⬙

EICHI: “... ... ...” ⬙

WATARU: “What an unfortunate turn of events... Though...” ⬙

PAPA: “It’ll be at the lake this time! At one o’clock, you guys better be there! Once you four pass through the door in the basement, it’ll lock itself. If anyone tries to ‘poke the bear’, again, you’ll be ki~lled!” ⬙

“Oh... But don’t worry! You can all watch like last time, hahahah! In the main room!” ⬙

“Farewe~lllll...!” ⬙

The helmet disappears, and Madara can see his frowning reflection against the time displayed. ⬙


	6. ⛩️ CHAPTER 2: BITE THE BULLET ⛩️

[MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/4KzFe50RQkQ)

LEO: “... ... ...” ⬙

The forest is cool, despite being in the afternoon. The sun shines, but most of it is obscured by the canopy of the trees as the four idols make their way along a clearly marked path towards the lake. ⬙

The tunnel towards the lake ended already. It isn’t as long as Madara thought it was going to be. They immediately entered the forest, engulfed into partial darkness, partial coolness. ⬙

TOMOYA: “... ... ...” ⬙

HAJIME: “... ... ...” ⬙

The two members of Ra*bits remaining were unluckily selected for this. Both of them had still been shaken up from the events of the previous day, and Hajime seemed on the verge of tears once more. ⬙

Madara swears that he’ll kill whoever was in charge. He’d use rope, if he could. He’d crush them, destroy them. ⬙

Both of them follow Madara, with Leo right behind him too, like little ducklings. ⬙

CHIAKI (FLASHBACK): “... You two were selected, too? ... Mikejima-san will protect you, so stick close with him.” ⬙

MADARA (FLASHBACK): “... ... ...” ⬙

EICHI (FLASHBACK): “I’m not so certain. How is it that you can trust him so easily?” ⬙

CHIAKI (FLASHBACK): “He’s an Ally of Justice! ... Tsukinaga will be with him, too. They’re going to the same place, anyway, Tenshouin.” ⬙

MADARA (FLASHBACK): “... Hahaha! I’m not gonna do anything that’ll give you a ‘run for your money’, Eichi-san! No worries!” ⬙

Chiaki’s insistence, as well as the lack of being able to afford arguing the entire time, was enough to let them go with Madara and Leo at the helm. ⬙

They’re going to the same place anyway, Madara echoes in his mind. ⬙

Right, the lake. ⬙

MADARA: “... It’ll be fine! I’m Mama, so I’m sure I can find a loophole somewhere!” he calls over his shoulder. ⬙

HAJIME: “... Eichi-oniichan has always said you do whatever you want,” Hajime says slowly, “and that you can’t be contained by normal rules...” ⬙

MADARA: “Oh, really? He’s talking about me ‘behind my back’? Hahahaha! Well, that’s fine.” He steels his face, looking forward. “But that’s exactly right! Hahahaha!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... Should you really be proud of something like that...?” ⬙

LEO: “... Mikejimama will get us out of here if he breaks the rules, though! Right? Right!” ⬙

Despite his words, Leo doesn’t sound too confident. He still smiles wide though, looking over his shoulder and waving at the younger ones. ⬙

Madara crunches on a twig, wincing at the reminder of yesterday, and they finally, suddenly, emerge onto a lakefront. ⬙

HAJIME: “Oh... It’s so pretty out here.” ⬙

Leo pushes past Madara, the other two following suit slowly. It really is pretty — it’s hard to believe what’ll happen soon, whatever it is. ⬙

The lake itself is huge and wide, crystal clear. Trees surround it on every edge, but there’s space for a sandy, gravelly bank everywhere, a few feet. There’s a small island in the middle, and it connects to the bank via a wooden, olden bridge. ⬙

In the distance, Madara really can see the tops of walls surrounding them, enclosing them in. ⬙

Loud speakers stand tall at certain intervals all around, as do floodlights. ⬙

Docked on the small island is some sort of raft. There also seems to be boxes on the island, closed. Leo takes a few steps towards the bridge, but Madara stops him, pulls him back by the scarf. ⬙

LEO: “Urk—” ⬙

MADARA: “Oh, sorry, sorry. Are you alright? Let me go first, hahaha! I’ll check everything out!” ⬙

He waves to the other two, too, and after making sure he didn’t actually hurt Leo (he didn’t), he crosses the bridge onto the island. The three wait at the edge of the bridge as Madara starts rummaging through the boxes. ⬙

There are three boxes, with one stacked on top of one other, and the third off to the side. In all three of them are a bunch of weights, like ones you strap to your arms and legs to train. He’s familiar. ⬙

They’re pretty heavy, but he can already see where this is going—they’re not heavy enough to sink the raft, but heavy enough to hinder swimming effectively. ⬙

As he leans over the solitary box on the ground, his hand brushes against something cold and metallic. Pulling it out reveals a revolver. He checks the bullets—and there’s only one, out of six, loaded. ⬙

**Tell the others about the revolver?**

  * “There’s only 1 bullet.” 
  * “It’s not loaded.” 
  * Pocket it secretly



**> >> “There’s only 1 bullet.”**

****

Madara makes sure the safety is on before turning to the others, waving, smiling. “Hey, hey! It’s all clear if you guys want to come over, hahaha! I found a gun... but don’t worry, there’s only one bullet!” ⬙

Leo hops up onto the bridge, in a way far too excited for what Madara just said. “A gun? Wahaha, with one bullet? Like roulette!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... Roulette?” he asks, following Leo across the bridge to the island. ⬙

LEO: “Yeah, yeah! Russian Roulette, or something like that! You take one bullet out of six, and then put it to your head, and BANG—!” ⬙

Leo jumps off the bridge onto the island, steadying himself. Tomoya and Hajime jump, too, but in surprise at Leo’s sudden outburst, reverberating through the valley. Hajime even falls against Tomoya, who falls against the creaking railing of the bridge. ⬙

Leo pauses, as if remembering to continue. “... Though! There’s the biiig chance you won’t get a bullet!” ⬙

HAJIME: “... That sounds dangerous.” ⬙

Madara laughs a little, holding the gun up so everyone can see as the descend onto the island. “It IS dangerous,” his tone suggests experience. “There’s that tiny chance you’ll get the bullet, so let’s not play around with this.” ⬙

“I promised Chiaki-san I’d protect you after all! Hahahaha!” ⬙

The two look uneasy, but Leo just starts going through the boxes, pulling out two weights. “... Wahaha, these are so heavy.” ⬙

MADARA: “Those are heavy to you, Leo-san? Hahaha! They’re nothing!” ⬙

LEO: “Yeah, but you’re a monster, Mama! Mamonster!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha, don’t give me weird—” ⬙

The speakers along the lake crackle to life again, and P.A.P.A.’s familiar, distorted voice comes through. ⬙

“Everyone’s arrived! We can finally, FINALLY, begin the Festival! Hahaha!” ⬙

Tomoya and Hajime share an uneasy look, and Leo’s smile falters and fades completely. ⬙

PAPA: “So, you probably already went through the boxes, right? There’s weights in there. Everyone will put four weights on—one on each wrist, and one on each leg! Then you’ll crawl onto that raft and undock!” ⬙

“There’s a gun in there, too, with one bullet! Make sure no one took it while you weren’t looking!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “I didn’t! Hahaha!” ⬙

PAPA: “You all have to sit on that raft for three hours and decide if you want to kill.” ⬙

TOMOYA: “W-What?” ⬙

HAJIME: “That’s...” ⬙

PAPA: “Talk it out with one another! Hahaha! Get to know the other parties! It’ll just be ‘the bee’s knees’!” ⬙

“At the end of the three hours, you’ll have to either kill someone or not. If everyone chooses to ‘kill’, then all of you die by drowning. If at least one person but less than all four chooses to ‘kill’, then those ones get to decide who to push off the raft!” ⬙

“But if nooo one chooses to kill... that’s where the gun comes in! One person will be randomly selected to wield the gun first. You take turns aiming it at the person to your right and pulling the trigger!” ⬙

“Oh, and every half an hour, I’ll send some messages from the folks back in the house! Hahahahaha! It’ll be super fun! Interactive!” ⬙

“By the way... If any one of you tries to sacrifice yourself, all of the rest of them will die too! Hahahahaha!” ⬙

“So, if you understand, hop up on the raft and undock! The timer will start once all four of you are out drifting...~!” ⬙

The speakers crackle and fizz out. ⬙

MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙

LEO: “... ... ...” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... ... ...” ⬙

HAJIME: “... ... ...” ⬙

Hajime brings his hands up to his face, pressing the balls of them into his eyes, and he sniffles. “... Uuu...” ⬙

Tomoya turns to him, pulling him into an embrace, and Madara puts on a smile, comforting. He hands Leo the gun, still making sure the safety is on, and heads closer to the two, placing his hands on either of their shoulders. ⬙

“Listen, listen! Hahaha! It’ll be just fine! He seems like he’s got his bases covered, but maybe there’s something we’re missing! Don’t worry, don’t worry!” ⬙

Tomoya glares at him as Hajime weeps into his other shoulder. “Can you really say that? It’s not fine! Don’t lie to us; we’re not stupid!” ⬙

Madara’s smile doesn’t fade or falter. “Hahaha! You’re right! Sorry, sorry! Am I treating you like kids? I tend to do that in stressful situations! Or, any situation, really! Hahaha!” ⬙

LEO: “... He’s trying his hardest!” Leo calls, as he steps quietly into the raft, still holding the gun as if he’d break it if he held too tight. “Wahaha! Leave it to Mama to get us out of here, okay?” ⬙

Tomoya’s silent, and Hajime’s stopped crying by now, but Tomoya keeps his glare up at Madara. Madara continues to smile pleasantly, letting go of them. ⬙

Leo’s voice drops as he sits down in the raft. “... For now, all we can do is wait.” ⬙

Madara nods. “He’s right. If you won’t listen to me, listen to Leo-san! Hahaha! We have three hours. Don’t worry!” ⬙

He walks away from them to grab some of the weights. He hands four to each of the younger boys, then carries eight over to the raft, handing Leo four of them while applying four to himself. ⬙

Hajime sniffles, reluctantly letting Tomoya put the four on him, and then climbs into the raft. Tomoya is close behind, and then finally, Madara gets in. He balances the weight of the raft so it doesn’t tip to one side. ⬙

He unties the rope from the dock, and shoves both hands against the island. “Heave~ ho~” The raft kicks off, and it’s set adrift. Madara turns back to them with a smile. ⬙

PAPA: “Hahahaha! Congrats! You have three hours, starting now! Get to know one another! ‘Break the ice’!” ⬙

**What to say first...?**

  * Chide Tomoya
  * Flirt with Leo
  * Comfort Hajime



**[>>> Comfort Hajime](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

Hajime still looks like he’s going to cry at any second, and Mama is Mama. He even thinks that a few times to himself as he looks towards the poor boy, snuggled up against one of the corners of the raft. ⬙

“... Hajime-san!” ⬙

Hajime jumps, scared by the sudden loud noise after a few moments of silence besides the wind in the trees. “...!” ⬙

Madara just laughs. “Oh, sorry, hahahaha! I didn’t mean to be so loud! But... It’ll be fine! Really!” ⬙

Hajime sniffles. “... It won’t be fine.” He turns his head down and away, eyes mostly closed. They look a little duller than Madara remembers. “It...” He sniffles again. ⬙

MADARA: “How won’t it be fine? I’m sure Nazuna-san is watching over you! Kuro-san, too! Hahahaha!” ⬙

HAJIME: “... ... ...” ⬙

“... ... ...” ⬙

“... ... ...” ⬙

MADARA: “... Even Adonis-san! He was super strong!” His smile falters slightly. “He ‘gave me a run for my money’! Hahaha! He’ll be sure to watch over all of us, too; that’s the kind of guys they all were!” ⬙

HAJIME: “... Nii-chan... Kiryuu-senpai... Otogari-senpai...” ⬙

MADARA: “... ... Hahahaa~ Chin up, Hajime-san! It’ll be fine!” ⬙

HAJIME: “...” ⬙

Hajime looks worse off than when Madara started. ⬙

TOMOYA: “... Maybe you should stop talking to him now,” Tomoya says pointedly at Madara. ⬙

Madara nods. “I agree, hahaha! I guess I’m not quite a mama yet! Hahahaha!” ⬙

Madara, after that, shuts up for the rest of the time, until the speakers crackle to life again. ⬙

[EICHI (SPEAKER): “... Hajime-kun.” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

Hajime looks up, sniffling again and again, trying to wipe at his eyes. ⬙

“I’m only allowed a short time, but... I’m not asking you to kill anyone... If only I could dirty my hands again instead...” ⬙

“... Hajime-kun, please be safe. Don’t do anything rash.” ⬙

The speaker fades out. ⬙

That means the first half an hour is up, right? Only two and a half more hours to go. ⬙

**What to say next...?**

  * Talk with Tomoya
  * Comfort Leo
  * Tease Hajime
  * Nothing



**[>>> Talk with Tomoya](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

Madara waits a few moments before looking across at everyone else. Leo’s being surprisingly quiet, so he’ll talk to fill the void for everyone. ⬙

“Tomoya-san!” ⬙

Tomoya jumps, similar to Hajime. “Ah—!” ⬙

MADARA: “Oops, hahahahaaa! Sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” ⬙

Tomoya doesn’t say anything, glaring a bit, for a few moments. “... It’s fine.” ⬙

MADARA: “Right? It’s fine!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “Is that all you say? That it’s fine...? Say something more believable!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahaha! I guess I can’t right now! Sorry, sorry~” ⬙

TOMOYA: “Of course you can’t. ... What did you want?” ⬙

MADARA: “I wanted to ask you if you know how to swim!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... What—?!” ⬙

MADARA: “I jest! Hahaha! It was just a Mama Joke ☆” ⬙

Tomoya looks both furious and scared. “It wasn’t a fun joke! Shut up! Don’t talk to me!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahahaha! Of course! I’ll ‘zip my mouth’!” And so, he does, until the speakers come on again. ⬙

[WATARU (SPEAKER): “... Tomoya-kuuun! ☆” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

Tomoya’s eyes widen, and he looks up towards one of the speakers. ⬙

“Amazing! ☆ This thing really is on...! Let me make my case brief, Tomoya-kun.” ⬙

“I normally do not condone such genuine, lawless violence... However!” ⬙

“... There may be no other choice.” ⬙

The speaker fizzes out. ⬙

Madara’s mouth is dry, but he smiles. Two hours to go. ⬙

**What to say next...?**

  * Apologize to Tomoya
  * Talk with Leo
  * Chide Hajime
  * Nothing



**[>>> Apologize to Tomoya](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

The silence stretches after the speakers cut out again. It’s almost unbearable—nothing but the wind in the trees still. Madara licks his lips, smiling, and looks to Tomoya again. ⬙

“Tomoya-san,” he says, gently. “... I wanted to apologize to you, hahahaha!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... You do?” ⬙

MADARA: “I’m making you angry, right? Hahaha. Sorry if I’m scaring you! I tend to break things even when I don’t mean to!” ⬙

Tomoya pauses, then sniffles. He wipes at his eyes, trying not to cry at all. “... It’s... It’s not your fault.” ⬙

MADARA: “... You’re scared, right?” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... ... ...” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahahaaa! Have no fear! Mama’ll be here to protect you!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... uu...” ⬙

MADARA: “Maybe you’ll forgive me one day! Maybe you won’t! Hahahahaha! It’s fine either way; think what you like!” ⬙

“But either way, I made a promise! Mama’s here!” ⬙

Tomoya pulls his knees carefully up to his chest, hiding his face in them. His shoulders shake slightly, as he trembles and tries not to cry. ⬙

Madara doesn’t know what to say after that, so he quiets down. ⬙

The speakers turn on again. ⬙

[CHIAKI (SPEAKER): “... Tomoya Mashiro...kun.” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

He sounds absolutely broken, just from the name. It’s obvious he’s been crying. ⬙

“I told you... Mikejima-san will protect you both... so... please...” ⬙

The speaker cuts out. Only an hour and a half left... ⬙

  
**What to say next...?**

  * Anger Tomoya
  * Comfort Leo
  * Talk with Hajime
  * Nothing



**[>>> Comfort Leo](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

Leo’s still been quiet all this time, looking down at the gun in his lap. He’s to Madara’s left, so Madara reaches over very carefully and plucks the gun from him, setting it down in the middle of the raft. ⬙

The sudden movement surprises Leo, though. ⬙

“Wah!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Sorry! Hahahaha! Did I scare you? I didn’t want you to transfix any longer! It’s not healthy, hahaha, and I know you get caught up in those delusions of yours!” ⬙

LEO: “...” ⬙

Leo pouts, staring at Madara. Madara looks at him with an expectant smile, then laughs again. ⬙

LEO: “W-What’s so funny?! Don’t laugh at me!” ⬙

MADARA: “Sorry, sorry~ Hahaha, I can’t help it! You’re too cute when you puff out your cheeks like that, Leo-san!” Madara holds up his index fingers to both of his own cheeks. The weights are weighing down on him. “Always do it!” ⬙

Leo continues to pout, then he laughs, though it’s quieter than normal. Madara suspects he can’t keep up the charade as well as he can. ⬙

“Mikejimama, you’re so funny! Uchuu! Sometimes I really think you’re an alien! Oh! Or maybe a guardian angel?!” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha! Am I? I’m just Mama! But does that mean you trust me?” ⬙

Leo leans forward, rocking the raft slightly. “Of course! I love you!” ⬙

MADARA: “Wah, don’t ‘rock the boat’ — or, well, you’re doing that literally, hahaha! Settle back down!” ⬙

Leo does as he’s told, settling back down in his corner. “... Wahaha! Okay, Mama!” ⬙

Madara’s facial expression softens, though he still smiles. “... I promise I’ll save you, Leo-san. Don’t worry.” ⬙

The speaker turns back on. ⬙

[CHIAKI (SPEAKER): “... Tsukinaga, please don’t... please don’t do anything rash...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

It cuts out immediately, after that one line, though it seems he had been finished speaking. Only an hour left. ⬙

**What to say next...?**

  * Amuse Tomoya
  * Anger Leo
  * Talk with Hajime
  * Nothing



**[>>> Talk with Hajime](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

Madara turns to Hajime. “... Hajime-san! Hahaha, how are you feeling?” ⬙

Hajime’s brought his knees to his chest, chin resting on them. He’s not crying anymore, though he sniffs occasionally. He barely reacts to Madara’s outburst. ⬙

HAJIME: “... S-Sorry. I’m not really in the mood to talk right... right now.” ⬙

He closes his eyes and sniffs again. ⬙

Madara laughs. “Of course you’re not! Hahaha! You don’t look good at all, that’s for sure!” ⬙

HAJIME: “... ... ...” ⬙

MADARA: “Mama’s here if you want to talk! I’ll always be here to ‘lend an ear’! Haha—” ⬙

Hajime, for the first time, levels his voice as much as he can. “I don’t want to talk, Mikejima-senpai.” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha! Of course! You really ‘put your foot down’! Don’t worry, hahaha!” ⬙

That was such a short conversation. Oh, well. ⬙

They sit in awkward silence until the speaker predictably comes on. ⬙

[RITSU (SPEAKER): “... Ha~kun.” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

Hajime looks up again, blinking a few times to rid his eyes of the tears. ⬙

“... Ecchan’s worried for you.” His voice is surprisingly level, steely. “... Sorry. This is a tough decision... but... I think you know what to do, right?” ⬙

The speaker cuts out. ⬙

There’s only a half an hour left. ⬙

His mouth is so dry. ⬙

**What to say last...?**

  * Talk with Tomoya
  * Tell Leo Mama loves him
  * Chastise Hajime
  * Nothing



**[>>> Tell Leo Mama loves him](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) **

Leo’s sitting in the corner playing with his hair, over his shoulder. Despite how he’s trying to come off as relaxed, Madara, who’s been around him the most, can tell he’s not that at all. ⬙

“Leo-san.” His voice is gentle—well, he tries to be. He’s worried, of course, but he’s thinking really hard about what to do now. ⬙

He might not make it out alive. He has no idea how the others will choose. ⬙

He had tried to influence their choices... He wonders if it will come to fruition. ⬙

Leo looks up at him and gives him a biiig smile, placing both index fingers on his own cheeks. “Mama!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Leo-saaan! ... I love you, Leo-san.” ⬙

Leo tilts his head, laughing. “I love you too, Mikejimama! I always do! Always will! But where’d that come from? Wahahaha, you don’t say it too often!” ⬙

MADARA: “... I just wanted to say it! Hahaha! Maybe I’ve been beamed by aliens?!” ⬙

LEO: “Uchuu! Really? Waha! What’d they say, huh? Huh!” ⬙

Madara laughs pleasantly. “... They told me to say I love you! So I said it.” ⬙

Leo pauses, and his smile fades a little. “... I love you too,” he says, a bit more seriously. ⬙

“Don’t talk like you’re about to die, Madara.” ⬙

MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙

He wants to get closer, but he’d risk tipping the raft. He’ll wait out the rest of the time in silence. ⬙

The speakers come on. ⬙

[CHIAKI (SPEAKER): “... Mikejima-san.” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

Chiaki sniffles on the other side of the line. ⬙

“... Everyone—” ⬙

“—Stay safe.” ⬙

The speaker cuts out for only a few moments, and P.A.P.A.’s distorted voice comes through, destroying any remnants of Chiaki’s in the valley. ⬙

[PAPA: “Hahahahaha! Has everyone decided on what to do? And who to kill? Hahahaha!” ⬙](https://youtu.be/q1T-QN-64U4)

“Close your eyes and raise your hand if you’re going to kill someone! Your eyes better be closed or else!” ⬙

“Think of a name, a name!” ⬙

**Kill someone?**

  * Kill Tomoya
  * Kill Leo
  * Kill Hajime
  * Don’t raise hand



**[>>> Don’t raise hand](https://youtu.be/GJvZwZQV7fs) **

Madara waits until everyone reluctantly closes their eyes before he closes his own. ⬙

... He can’t kill anyone. So he stays put. He can’t break his promise to Chiaki, and he can’t hurt the one he loves. He can only hope that his plan can really come true. ⬙

He feels movement on the raft, but he can’t pinpoint it. ⬙

There’s a long, long stretch of silence. He keeps his eyes firmly shut. ⬙

PAPA: “... What? No one raised their hand? Were you all ‘giving everyone the benefit of the doubt’? Hahahaha! How boring! Not exciting at all, nope! ” ⬙

Madara’s eyes shoot open. He blinks a few times. Leo’s opened his eyes, too, but no one’s raised their hands at all. He can confirm it with his own sight. ⬙

Tomoya’s put his legs down. That was the movement. ⬙

MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙

PAPA: “Well... Well, well, well! Hahah! I guess we can MAKE it exciting! Leo-saaan! Pick up the gun!” ⬙

LEO: “...!” ⬙

PAPA: “Well? What are you waiting for? Hahahaha! Hurry up and point it at good ol’ Mama!” ⬙

LEO: “... I...” ⬙

MADARA: “... Leo-san. It’s okay.” He reaches for the gun and hands it to him. Both of their hands are shaking, but when Madara realizes this, he smiles and steadies his hand. “It’s fine! I told you it’d be fine!” ⬙

LEO: “... Don’t... Don’t say things like that!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “... Just trust in Mama! Hahahaha! Everything will turn out fine!” ⬙

He hopes the first shot is what hits him. ⬙

Leo finally takes the gun from Madara, hands still shaking. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even look up, and he looks down at the gun. ⬙

PAPA: “Make sure you aim at a place that’ll kill the other in one shot! Or don’t! Anything that’ll kill, though! ‘Slow and steady wins the race’! Hahahahahaha!” ⬙

Leo swallows thickly, raising the gun. He closes his eyes as he does so, then opens them again, steadying his hands long enough to aim the gun at Madara’s head. ⬙

Madara smiles at him and closes his own eyes. ⬙

LEO: “... S-Sorry.” ⬙

“I... I’ll try to make it quick.” His voice wavers. ⬙

Click. ⬙

MADARA: “...!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... It...!” ⬙

Leo looks dumbfounded at the gun. He blinks a few times, frozen in place. ⬙

PAPA: “Hahahaha! What are the chances? Pass it around until someone dies!” ⬙

MADARA: “... Leo-san, I’ll... I’ll take it.” ⬙

LEO: “...” ⬙

HAJIME: “But...But then...!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... I...” He sniffles. “Mikejima-senpai?” ⬙

MADARA: “... S-Sorry. I... I won’t hurt you.” ⬙

He hopes. ⬙

He reaches for the gun from the still shell shocked Leo. Leo bites his lip, almost reluctant to hand it to him. But he does, in the end. Madara turns to Tomoya. ⬙

He wants to turn the gun on himself... But if he does that, then the other three will die, anyway. ⬙

So he takes a deep breath and aims it at Tomoya. There’s a one in five chances it’ll go off now. He just needs it to cycle back to him. ⬙

TOMOYA: “... ... ...” ⬙

Madara looks away after aiming it at Tomoya’s head. He’s fired a gun before, of course. He knows how it works. It was different, those times, though. ⬙

MADARA: “... ... Hahaha... Sorry.” ⬙

Click. ⬙

MADARA: “Oh.” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... Ah...!” ⬙

HAJIME: “... ... ...” ⬙

Madara pauses, then hands the gun out to Tomoya without looking at him, without saying anything. ⬙

It’s one in four now. Damnit. ⬙

Tomoya touches the gun, then pulls his hand away quickly. A few moments later, he takes it from Madara, who still hasn’t looked up. ⬙

He can tell Hajime is trembling; he’s crying. No one likes having a gun pointed at them. ⬙

HAJIME: “... T-Tomoya... k-kun...” ⬙

TOMOYA: “... S-Sorry... H-Hajime... I’m... I’m sorry... I... I wish it had... gone off... on me, instead... s-so... you don’t... so I don’t... have to... s-sorry...” ⬙

HAJIME: “... I-It’s... It’s okay... T-Tomoya-k-kun... It wouldn’t be... your fault...” ⬙

Madara still hasn’t looked at them. ⬙

[Madara’s ears ring](https://goo.gl/uG87uY), and the raft tilts as a weight is suddenly removed. He barely recognizes the splash of water. ⬙

[TOMOYA: “... ... ...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/Mlqxoq5VGx0)

MADARA: “... T-Tomoya... san, come here.” He shifts his own weight so the raft doesn’t tilt too far. ⬙

Tomoya doesn’t move. ⬙

Leo doesn’t move either. There’s blood on his clothing, and he’s frozen solid. ⬙

Madara steadies the raft. Tomoya drops the gun, hands shaking. He looks down at his open palms, too shocked to even cry. ⬙

MADARA: “... T-Tomoya-san!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “I... I killed... I... I... H-Haji... me...” ⬙

Madara curses underneath his breath. He takes a glance at Leo, who seems to be holding on better than Tomoya. He rips the weights off of himself and tosses them into the lake, grabbing onto Tomoya’s one shoulder carefully. ⬙

“Tomoya-san...!” ⬙

Tomoya looks up at him, and that’s when he starts bawling his eyes out. He clutches onto Madara’s arm, sobbing. ⬙

“I... I... H-Hajime... I-I’m... I’m sorry...” ⬙

Madara moves carefully again, pulling Tomoya into an embrace, petting his hair. He doesn’t know what to say. He remembers when he first pulled the trigger, but it had never been at a friend. ⬙

So he doesn’t say anything. ⬙

Tomoya murmurs Hajime’s name and apologies over and over under his breath. Madara holds him. ⬙

It seems like forever when the speakers crackle to life, and P.A.P.A.’s ugly voice crackles through. ⬙

PAPA: “Magnificent! Hahahaha! Exciting, exciting! You really ‘hit the nail on the head’ - or should I say, bullet rather than nail? Hahahahahahaha!” ⬙

Madara doesn’t say anything. He lowers his head, and he pulls Tomoya closer. He works on taking the weights off of Tomoya, tossing them in the lake. Leo still hasn’t moved. ⬙

PAPA: “You’ll have to figure out how to get back to shore on your own though, hahahaha! Then you’ll be home free for the rest of the day! Hahahahahahahahahahaha!” ⬙

The speakers cut off. ⬙

Madara slowly pulls away from Tomoya, still mumbling. “... Tomoya-san. Wait here.” ⬙

Tomoya, just as Madara thought, doesn’t move when he pulls away. Good, in a way. It makes Madara shifting to Leo easier. He removes Leo’s weights from his wrists and ankles, tossing them into the water. ⬙

He takes off Leo’s blazer—the part that has blood on it—and throws it into a corner of the raft. He takes off his own, wrapping it around Leo’s shoulders. ⬙

Leo finally looks up at him, eyes filled with tears. ⬙

“... Madara...?” ⬙

Madara gives a small smile. “... Mama’s here.” ⬙

He kisses him on the forehead, then draws away. He removes his shirt, tossing it with Leo’s blazer, and dives into the water. Resurfacing, he grabs the edge of the raft and starts pulling it along to shore, swimming. ⬙

He’s out of breath by the time he makes it there. ⬙

But Mama’s here. ⬙


	7. ⛩️ CHAPTER 2.1: INTERMISSION 2 ⛩️

It’s a long walk back. ⬙

[It’s the same length as before](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g), but for some reason, it seems so much longer. ⬙

Madara leads Leo like a little duckling again, looking back all the time to make sure he’s fine, that he’s alright. Leo keeps a hold of the back of Madara’s shirt that he put back on, still wearing Madara’s blazer. ⬙

In his arms, over his shoulder, is Tomoya. Still conscious, but barely. ⬙

MADARA (FLASHBACK): “... Leo, Tomoya-san,” he said, trying to pull them out of the raft after he dragged it ashore. “Let’s go back. It’s getting late, hahaha.” His voice was quiet. ⬙

His chest hurt. He willed his hands not to shake. Why was he so scared? Because of the proximity? Because it was someone he knew more? ⬙

He wasn’t sure then, and he’s not sure now. ⬙

TOMOYA (FLASHBACK): “... I killed... I killed him...” ⬙

LEO (FLASHBACK): “...” ⬙

MADARA (FLASHBACK): “... ... ...” ⬙

He placed his hands on Tomoya’s shoulders, then slid them down underneath his arms, picking him up and out of the raft. Tomoya wavered on his feet for a few moments before he fell to his knees, blinking, startling. ⬙

TOMOYA (FLASHBACK): “... Ah... I-I...” He sniffles. “... I-I killed... I killed Hajime...” ⬙

Madara helped Leo out of the raft too—Leo seemed to be taking it better, obviously still awfully, but able to move on his own. He stood, trembling, as Madara turned back to Tomoya and knelt down in front of him. ⬙

“... Tomoya-san. Let’s go back,” he said, very gently. When Tomoya didn’t move, only dug his fingers into the gravelly sand, Madara smiled, then wrapped his arms around his waist. “Heave... ho~...” ⬙

He pulled him over his shoulder and stood up all in one go. He made sure he had a good grip on him—when he heard Leo speak behind him. ⬙

“... Madara.” ⬙

Madara turned around, still holding Tomoya, who barely struggled at all. “Mm? Leo-san?” ⬙

LEO (FLASHBACK): “... You didn’t use -san before... but...” ⬙

He rubbed at his eyes. ⬙

“... It’s bad of me to be happy you’re still alive, isn’t it...?” ⬙

After that, Leo had to be comforted down from a panic attack, gradually, gradually, all while still holding onto Tomoya. He had run his free hand through Leo’s hair, holding him close. ⬙

He can only do so much, can’t he? ⬙

It’s a long walk. ⬙

They enter the tunnel. ⬙

The door is still locked when they get to it, but it unlocks after a few moments, as if someone was watching them. Madara glances around, but he can’t see any cameras—though maybe that’s because the light blinds him, and he’s suddenly thrusted into the gameroom. ⬙

Kaoru, Kanata, Chiaki, Tsumugi, Sora, Eichi, Wataru, and Ritsu are all present. The others are missing from the room, presumably mourning already. ⬙

He ignores their looks. ⬙

He sets Tomoya down on a sofa, and not even a few seconds later, he’s gripping Kaoru’s wrist in a death grip, holding the fist away before it could connect all the way. They glare at one another. ⬙

[Madara smiles, lips taut.](https://youtu.be/Gy8tcJbtCxQ) “Kaoru-san! Hahaha! Your surprise attacks need a bit more work, hahahaha! You almost got me though; I’ll give you that one!” ⬙

KAORU: “L... Let go of me.” ⬙

Madara tilts his head. “Oh? What? ‘All bark, no bite’? Hahahah!” He twists Kaoru’s hand, still smiling, still laughing, back. “I don’t want to hear it from you! Hahaha!” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... H-Hakaze...” ⬙

KAORU: “I-I can take you on, here and now! S-So let go of me so I can properly fight you!” ⬙

MADARA: “A fight? That’s what you want?” He twists Kaoru’s hand back more, laughing. “Hahaha! If it’s a fight, then I’ll give it! ... I won’t go easy on you, and I don’t expect you to go easy on me, either.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... M-Mikejima-san... That’s...” ⬙

EICHI: “That’s enough,” Eichi says, louder than Chiaki’s whisper. “Now’s not the time to be fighting.” ⬙

Wataru fusses with Tomoya, whispering quietly, using a handkerchief to wipe off any blood from him, though there’s not much. Leo stands nearby, behind Madara, and Kanata glares at him and Madara from behind Kaoru. ⬙

Madara doesn’t let up, no longer smiling. ⬙

Chiaki reaches forward finally and pulls them apart. “He said enough! So stop! Mikejima-san, before you hurt him!” ⬙

Madara snaps out of it with a laugh, letting Kaoru go. “Fine, fine! Though he was the one that started it!” ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Pardon me, but shouldn’t you know better?” ⬙

“You’re always saying you break things without meaning to. You could have broken his wrist without a care in the world, it seems.” ⬙

Kaoru frowns, rubbing at his wrist, taking a few steps back. Kanata doesn’t move, continuing to watch Madara carefully. ⬙

LEO: “What’s that supposed to mean? Hey, hey, he didn’t do anything wrong anyway!” ⬙

RITSU: “But...” He tilts his head. “He didn’t do everything he COULD do, either. Inaction is still doing something wrong.” ⬙

Madara pauses, then laughs again, taking a step towards them all. “Oh, and what would that be? Hahaha! I’m willing to hear it! What would YOU have done in the situation?” ⬙

KAORU: “You should’ve checked the gun again, or... Or done anything else... You could’ve taken the weights off—you didn’t have to leave them on... But the gun—that was your big mistake.” ⬙

MADARA: “Of course you would know about guns, right? Hahaha. What with your fath—” ⬙

KANATA: “Madara Mikejima, that is ‘enough’.” ⬙

Kaoru waves a hand. “How pitiful you really are, having to resort to shit like that.” His teeth are grit, and he’s having a hard time not moving closer again. “Isn’t that one of your tactics or whatever?” ⬙

Madara smiles. “I learned it from Sakuma-san, you know.” ⬙

KAORU: “He would never.” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha! It seems you still don’t know anything about your unit mates!” ⬙

“But I guess that’s to be expected from a deadbeat like you! Hahahaha!” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Mikejima-san!” ⬙

KANATA: “Enough, already...!” ⬙

Chiaki grabs at Madara’s arm, and Leo grabs at the other, and they pull him away. Kanata moves to stand in front of Kaoru, looking severely disappointed—more disappointed in Madara than usual. ⬙

LEO: “Mama, calm down, c’mere, c’mere. Hug.” He wraps his arms around both him and Chiaki, who stiffens as he's drawn closer to Madara. “Calm down.” ⬙

EICHI: “I won’t say it again. We can all agree that fighting won’t do anything good for Tomoya-kun right now, or the situation. Tsumugi, go get some water for Tomoya-kun.” ⬙

Tsumugi pauses, then nods. He doesn’t say anything as he leaves, looking over his shoulder once before ascending the stairs. ⬙

“I would rather not have a bloodbath of ANY sort, words included, happen in front of me without good cause. Hakaze-kun, you watched it all with us. If you were in that situation, could you have remained as calm as he did?” ⬙

Leo nods. “Tenshi’s right!” ⬙

Kaoru doesn’t say anything. ⬙

EICHI: “Thank you, Tsukinaga-kun, for agreeing with me. It’s awful of you to think that a man who just dragged everyone back had something to do with this all. If anything, the fact that you’re pushing SO hard for this is making you, Hakaze-kun, the suspicious one.” ⬙

WATARU: “Now, now, my dear,” Wataru calls over his shoulder, still watching Tomoya, who keeps mumbling again. “I think your blood pressure is going to spike if you continue on like this...!” ⬙

EICHI: “But am I wrong? Hakaze-kun, besides the obvious connections to Mikejima-kun, what other reasons do you have for suspecting him? Especially in that last situation.” ⬙

“I’m disappointed in you, too, Wataru, for agreeing to kill him. We know nothing of the situation. We’ve been deliberately left in the dark. Whoever planned this situation is obviously an expert—and I won’t deny that Mikejima-kun is one such person.” ⬙

“But for now, wouldn’t the better option be—” ⬙

Eichi coughs, for several seconds straight. Wataru stands and moves to him, too, approaching him like an anxious bird, fluttering around him. ⬙

EICHI: “I-I’m fine...” He coughs again. “I’m fine.” ⬙

WATARU: “My dear, please sit down and catch your breath...” ⬙

EICHI: “I said I’m—” He coughs. “—fine. Worry over Tomoya-kun more.” ⬙

RITSU: “... Ecchan...” ⬙

Madara laughs. “You’re less resilient than a wet paper bag, Eichi-san! You should do as he says before all your words go for naught!” ⬙

EICHI: “Please do not get me,” he coughs, leaning heavily against Wataru now, “wrong, Mikejima-kun. We are ‘enemies’ and nothing more than that. But here, we can at least be ‘allies’ with a common enemy—if you are to be trusted.” ⬙

SORA: “Sora thinks everyone should get along here.” ⬙

Everyone shuts up. Madara had forgotten the small boy was here at all. He’d been quiet, covering his ears with his hands, eyes closed, until just now, when he spoke. ⬙

“Isn’t that why Giant-san invited everyone here in the first place? So we could be friends!” ⬙

“But everyone’s colors are so dark... Sora doesn’t like it. Those that... the others... They wouldn’t like it, either.” ⬙

“So everyone, stop fighting. Please.” ⬙

He sniffles, trying very hard not to. ⬙

Everyone remains quiet. ⬙

Chiaki’s the one that finally breaks the silence. “... He’s right. Mikejima-san invited us here to deepen our fiery bonds!” He tries to keep up with the charade, but he can’t. “... I don’t think Mikejima-san is one to lie about that.” ⬙

Madara laughs. Chiaki turns away more, finally breaking free from the hug Leo’s kept him in. ⬙

LEO: “... You’re right! Wahaha... Mama can lie about a lot of things, but not about those he cares about!” ⬙

KANATA: “...” ⬙

Eichi coughs again—harder than before, collapsing fully against Wataru. Wataru grips him, eyes wide in shock, as he catches him before he can fall all the way. ⬙

“Eichi...?!” ⬙

Eichi doesn’t respond. Ritsu pauses, then faster than Madara has seen him move, heads up the stairs. He nearly bumps into Tsumugi, who’s on his way back down with a glass of water, but narrowly misses. ⬙

Tsumugi nearly drops the glass anyway when he sees Wataru bridal carrying Eichi over to the sofa next to Tomoya, too. He adjusts his glasses. Madara watches carefully. ⬙

EICHI: “... it’s worse... than,” cough, cough, “...usual...” ⬙

Wataru brushes the hair from Eichi’s face. Eichi curls up on himself, face pressed against Wataru’s shoulder as he kneels. ⬙

MADARA: “... Tsumugi-san!” ⬙

Tsumugi jumps, surprised. ⬙

MADARA: “... Maybe you should give Eichi-san the water instead.” ⬙


	8. ⛩️ CHAPTER 2.50: SEE EYE TO EYE ⛩️

**> >> ￥**

He sleeps a little more soundly that night, if only because he’s downright exhausted—though he doesn’t show it. ⬙

The room is quiet all night. After all, it’s the only room with all five of its occupants remaining, now. They don’t want to think about how awkward and sad all the other rooms must feel. ⬙

How everyone must feel as a whole. ⬙

Ah, he ends up thinking about it anyway. ⬙

Last night’s tense atmosphere fizzled as Eichi collapsed. Madara didn’t pay to the details, but he had something along the lines of an asthma attack. Ritsu had returned with his inhaler, and although he was fine, everyone decided to go to bed after that. ⬙

Which was fine with Madara, honestly. He didn’t want to be around most of them anymore for that day. He had just wanted to go to bed and rest, unusual for him. ⬙

Everything about this situation is unusual for him. He’s not sure how he’s doing it. ⬙

Anyway, everyone is about to start day three of the Festival. ⬙

[He wonders](https://youtu.be/OUpGltfOU10) how long this is supposed to go on. Four days? Like the name? But that could just refer to the four participants. ⬙

He wants... no, he NEEDS to find a way to end this earlier rather than later. Maybe he can do some exploring today through the house. ⬙

He rises without waking the still exhausted Leo and gets ready for the day. He’s not first—Kaoru and Chiaki have already left by the time he makes his way down to the main room. ⬙

Within the main room are only two occupants, however: Chiaki himself on the sofa, studying the C.A.R.D. and Sora, by the windows. ⬙

It’s nearing nine, now. ⬙

**FREETIME.**

**Who should Mama spend his time with?**

  * Chiaki
  * Sora
  * Do something else



**> >> Sora**

****

Sora’s just standing there, all alone, and Chiaki seems preoccupied. Madara slides up next to Sora, waving both of his hands near his face. “Sora-san! Good-mor-ning! Mama’s here!” ⬙

[Sora seems surprised](https://youtu.be/qQT6elaVuFI), blinking a few times up at Madara. He smiles brightly—or as brightly as he can. “Good morning, Giant-san! Don’t sneak up on Sora like that!” ⬙

Madara just laughs. “Sorry, sorry~ Hahahaha, did I scare you?” ⬙

Sora puffs his cheeks out. “Sora’s not scared of someone like you, ahaha. You’re tall, like a giant, but Sora’s not scared!” ⬙

**Should Mama scare him?**

  * Playfully
  * No



**> >> Playfully**

****

Madara laughs. “Eh, you’re not scared of me? Alrighty then.” He pauses. “It was nice saying good morning to you, Sora-san~ Hahahaha! And I’m pleased to hear you’re not scared of me... A ‘penny for your thoughts’!” ⬙

Sora turns his head back to look at him. “Huh? Are you going already?” ⬙

Madara nods, taking a step or two back. “I have things to do... But I’ll be back later, I promise, hahahahaha!” ⬙

Sora smiles widely. “... Alright, Giant-san! Sora will wait for you!” ⬙

With a final wave, Madara takes a step or two further, as if he’s really going. Sora turns back to the window. Madara waits a few moments, standing behind him several feet away. ⬙

Only once he’s sure Sora isn’t paying attention anymore, does he swoop in, grabbing Sora under the arms and lifting him up... up, all the way up, until he’s resting on Madara’s shoulders. ⬙

“Surprise~! Hahahaha! Mama appears nonetheless!” ⬙

SORA: “Uwah—!” ⬙

Sora grips at Madara’s hair out of surprise, and Madara doesn’t even wince. He just laughs, making sure he has a firm grip on Sora. Once Sora realizes what happened, he laughs, too. ⬙

“Giant-san! Sora thought you were going?” ⬙

MADARA: “I was, I was! And I said I’d come back later, right? Now is later! Hahahah!” ⬙

Sora thinks it over for a few seconds, then decides he likes that explanation, because he laughs again. He loosens his grip on Madara’s hair once he’s sure Madara won’t let him fall. ⬙

“Sora thinks it’s nice being up so high! It brightened the rainy day!” ⬙

Madara tilts his head, looking through the window. “Ah, you’re right! Hahahaha! Is that why your smile seemed kind of sad?” ⬙

SORA: “... Sora can say that.” ⬙

Madara falls silent. He gently plucks Sora off from his shoulders, setting him back down and fixing his own clothes, then ruffles Sora’s hair. ⬙

“Well, it looks much brighter now.” ⬙

Sora IS smiling, and he smiles even WIDER at that. “... Your colors are brighter, too! Sora’s happy he could help! Tamaya!” ⬙

Madara shouts: “Kagiya!” in return. He laughs, then laughs some more, along with Sora. After they settle down again, he places both hands on Sora’s shoulders. “... Thank you, Sora-san. The rainy days will end soon!” ⬙

Sora looks unconvinced for only a split second. “... Right!” he says soon after, thoroughly determined. ⬙

Madara turns away from him, letting him go back to his own devices. Just as he turns, he hears Chiaki’s voice from the sofa. He’s put the C.A.R.D. down, and he’s smiling a little. It’s not as big as his usual smiles. ⬙

“You’re good with kids, Mikejima-san, as usual.” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahaha! Am I? Well, that’s good, because I’m Mama!” ⬙

**End freetime.**

****

Madara claps his hands. “Have either of you had breakfast? If not, Mama’ll go whip something up!” ⬙

Without waiting for their answers, he’s already in the kitchen, faster than they could even think, probably. He looks through the pantry with a smile on his face, pulling down a mix for pancakes. ⬙

He’ll draw cute smiley faces on them, he thinks, but his thoughts get no further than that. ⬙

[Earlier than usual](https://youtu.be/keCvqI7jNkI), the familiar beeping of the C.A.R.D. sounds. Madara pauses, then calmly pulls the C.A.R.D. from his pocket. P.A.P.A.’s face lights up the screen, laughter filling the air. ⬙

PAPA: “Something special’s about to begin... in 12 hours! Hahahaha! Guess the ‘cat’s not out of the bag’ on who will be participating today! Still...” ⬙

“We’re so excited, so we wanted to give everyone a wakeup call! ‘Rise and shine’, everyone! P.A.P.A.’s here! Hahahaha!” ⬙

“By nine at night, those that will participate must go to a building just south of the lake. Rather than going straight ahead to the lake, veer onto the new path that’s been built overnight!” ⬙

“After that, we’ll have so much fun!” ⬙

“I’ll announce the lucky participants in the afternoon! Hahaha! Farewell, farewellll...!” ⬙

The purple helmet disappears, leaving just the time and his name again. He sighs, grabbing a pan from one of the cupboards, as well as all of the ingredients from the fridge, and he begins to cook with a frown on his face. ⬙

 


	9. ⛩️ CHAPTER 2.55: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS ⛩️

[Madara made pancakes for them](https://youtu.be/OUpGltfOU10), with perfect smiley faces on their tops, and then a few extra should anyone else want to eat them. A few people—notably Sora—finished them off, and all were happy. ⬙

Of course, they all thought about who would get chosen. This is worse than the bastard P.A.P.A. just telling them and them having to wait only a few hours. ⬙

This is what he wants, Madara thinks. He wants them to feel helpless and confused. He wants them to fight and be scared. ⬙

That’s why Madara made the pancakes with extra big smiles. With extra big laughs, he had distributed them. That’s why he had to keep up the facade as usual, keep up the morale of everyone. ⬙

It’s a totally fucked situation, but at least everyone is growing closer. ⬙

... He feels bad for even thinking that. ⬙

Several people, like Shu and Tomoya, as well as others connected to them and Kanata and Kaoru, hadn’t come down to eat breakfast AND lunch, and others left as soon as they ate. ⬙

It left only Madara, Natsume, and Rei in the room, nearing one in the afternoon. Natsume was at the same table Tsumugi had been sitting at yesterday. Rei was on the sofa, preparing a tea set for himself. ⬙

But it looks like there might be enough time to do something else, too. ⬙

**FREETIME!!**

**Who should Mama spend his time with?**

  * Natsume
  * Rei
  * Do something else



**> >> Natsume**

Madara finishes cleaning up his things, like plates and stuff, from everyone else and himself, dropping them off in the kitchen. He’ll get around to them later. ⬙

Rei probably wants to be alone while drinking his tea. He’s like that. Madara knows all too well, so after he emerges from the kitchen again, he plops right down in front of Natsume at the table. ⬙

He drops his elbows onto the table, shaking the contents on it—things like a few old books and a piece of paper—and places his chin in his hands. He smiles expectantly at Natsume. ⬙

[NATSUME: “...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/jHh3b9ySSDA)

MADARA: “...” ⬙

NATSUME: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

NATSUME: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

NATSUME: “... ... ...” ⬙

MADARA: “... ... ...” ⬙

NATSUME: “Are you not going to say iT?” ⬙

Madara pauses, then laughs. “Hahahaha! Say what, say what? You’ve yet to say anything, too!” ⬙

NATSUME: “I’ve said something just nOW. But no mattER. It is not important at aLL, that thing you always sAY. However, if you have nothing better to do than to bother me, then I suggest you leAVE, or else you will regret iT.” ⬙

Madara’s turning ideas over and over in his head. He doesn’t make a move to move, especially since he’s thinking. Something he always says...? Something... Something... ⬙

NATSUME: “...” ⬙

“... I am being seriOUS, Madara-senpAI. Take this as a final warnING, that if you do not leave, I will—” ⬙

Madara snaps his fingers, leaning back. “Ahaha! I got it, I got it! ‘Mama’s here~’ Hahahaha! That’s it, right?” ⬙

Natsume blinks, surprised. He doesn’t say anything. ⬙

Madara looks at him expectantly again. Smile, smile. ⬙

“... Of course it is nOT. It is not something so childish as thAT, that I had wanted you to sAY.” ⬙

Madara laughs. “It’s alright! It’s alright that it is! Here, here, do you want a Mama Brand Hug, too?” He reaches across the table. Natsume swats his hands away. ⬙

“Absolutely nOT. I told you, I want nothing as childish as thAT. Or even thIS. Do not hug mE.” He gathers up his things, closing the two books, folding the paper in half so that one can’t see what it is and slipping it into the first book. ⬙

“I will be taking my leave nOW, unless there is something that you had genuinely wantED. If that is the caSE, then I will hear you oUT, but make it brief or elSE.” ⬙

Madara hides his face in his hands comically. “Ooh, scary, scary~! Hahaha! Alright, Natsume-san, what I wanted to talk to you about was, ta-dah!” He points to the books in Natsume’s hands. ⬙

“What are those...?” ⬙

Natsume answers immediately. “They are the books of an old cult, long past its expiration dATE. I brought them with me for the sake of studying alONE, though it seems you are being a pest about theM. I will warn you noW, no one but I can read theM.” ⬙

Natsume shifts them in his hands, and now Madara doesn’t know which book has the paper in it. “Mortals untrained may trY, but none have succeeded thus fAR. It would be completely unwise for you to even touch theM.” ⬙

MADARA: “Hahahahahahaha, exciting, exciting! Are they in a cursed language? Well, I’ve tried to read that once, so let me see~” ⬙

**What book does Madara reach for?**

  * Left
  * Right



**> >> Right**

Madara reaches for the book closer to Natsume’s right than his left. He manages to grab it—but only about as much as the cover. His fingers slip against the leather of it, and the book falls on the table. ⬙

The paper, though, which is what Madara really wants, falls out onto the floor. Madara laughs. “Oops, sorry, sorry~ Let me grab that for you~” ⬙

He reaches for it now, swiping it before Natsume can get it. He stands up, holding it up and out of Natsume’s reach as he unfolds it. ⬙

NATSUME: “Give it baCK. You will sorely regret it if you do nOT. It is now or nevER, Madara-senpai, so do, please, give it baCK. I am saying this for your own goOD.” ⬙

MADARA: “Ahahaha! You really can be scary sometimes, Natsume-san! But still, let me just read it~” ⬙

On the paper are a bunch of rectangles... No, it’s one long rectangle. Well, it’s not a rectangle, either, because it snakes around the paper, starting from the lower left. ⬙

It goes upwards, then turns sharply at 90 degrees to the left, then right again, then right, then left, then right. It continues on until it stops in the lower right. ⬙

Madara tilts his head, pulling it closer to him. Is this some sort of— ⬙

Natsume takes it from him. He had pulled one of the chairs quietly over to stand in front of Madara, climbing onto it, in order to do such a thing. ⬙

Madara laughs. “How resourceful! Hahaha! At least there was no ‘curiosity kills the cat’ going on here! Hahaha! Sorry!” ⬙

Natsume huffs, folding the paper back up, then once again, then again, slipping it into his pocket. He opens his mouth to speak, but Madara grabs him, wrapping his arms around his waist, and lifts him up, spinning him around. ⬙

Natsume clings for dear life, and a few seconds later, Madara sets him onto the floor again. Natsume shakes on his feet, then steadies himself, gripping his head. ⬙

“What did you do that foR? I could have severely gotten hURT.” ⬙

MADARA: “Nonsense! You’re perfectly fine, aren’t you? Hahaha! Besides, I had to give you a Mama Hug to make up for taking your stuff, hahaha! How was it?” ⬙

Natsume shakes his head without replying to the question. Is it Madara, or is Natsume sort of embarrassed? Natsume grabs the two books and shakes his head. “I will be taking my leave for real nOW. Please do not follow mE, lest you want to end up getting hURT.” ⬙

He walks briskly past both Madara and Rei, towards the door. ⬙

It almost looked like a map. Madara’s almost sad he didn’t go exploring, but at least he has an idea of a map... that he doesn’t know where for. ⬙

**End freetime.**

Madara laughs, sitting down on one of the sofas. Tsumugi’s come in and Koga has too. Hinata sits with Rei at the table drinking tea now. Madara realizes he hasn’t seen Kaoru since before he left this morning out of the room, nor the other three since breakfast. ⬙

Just as he’s thinking that, though, someone jumps on him from behind, right over the edge of the sofa. “Uchuu~ chuu~” On the second word, the mystery person presses a kiss to Madara’s cheek. ⬙

Madara laughs even MORE now, even LOUDER, and he grabs Leo from behind, flipping him over the back of the sofa and into his lap. He rests his head in Madara’s lap from the way he landed, and he laughs, too. ⬙

“Leo-saaan! It’s good to see you’re in high spirits! I missed you!” ⬙

Leo shifts, then sits next to him on the sofa, one leg folded beneath him. “I missed you too! Listen, I got a good idea, but I don’t have anything to write it down with. Before I forget it, won’t you remember it for me? Okay, okay!” He starts humming, eyes closed. ⬙

MADARA: “Ah, wait, you’re going too fast, Leo-san! Haha, okay, I’ll listen!” ⬙

LEO: “Shh! Listen! And remember!” ⬙

Madara hushes up. Leo continues to hum out a song, and Madara eventually closes his eyes, too, basking in both the new tune as well as Leo’s warmth. ⬙

Just as the song ends, and Madara’s about to comment on how solemn it sounds, the C.A.R.D.’s ring. ⬙

[Leo grumbles](https://youtu.be/keCvqI7jNkI), something about already forgetting because of the interruption, and Madara quietly takes it out for the second time that day. The purple helmet is clear as the sun. ⬙

PAPA: “Ahahahaha! Miss me? Hahaha! Okay, okay! ‘It’s showtime’! Hahah!” ⬙

“Like I said before, the following will walk towards the lake. It’ll be dark, so be careful, hahaha! Before the lake is a new path that veers right. Take that path until you see a building!” ⬙

“Enter the building, and we’ll begin the third Festival of Four activity!” ⬙

“Our very, very lucky participants will be... Natsume-san! Eichi-san! Chiaki-san! Aaand... Tsumugi-san!” ⬙

“Those four, follow the instructions I said before, hahaha! By nine at night... Hahahahah! It’s ‘a far cry from’ the other Festivals we’ve had, so... Let’s ‘get the ball rolling’... Farewell, farewellll...!” ⬙

Madara feels something strike through him, and his eyes follow the fade of the purple helmet until it says nothing but the time. ⬙

What can he do? He’s Mama. ⬙

The minute advances. ⬙


	10. ⛩️CHAPTER 3: ADD INSULT TO INJURY⛩️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally swapped the colors, but they don't mean anything at all. Sorry for that!

[It’s quiet. Far, far too quiet. ⬙](https://youtu.be/4KzFe50RQkQ)

The gusts of the wind, and nothing else, rustle the leaves of the trees. ⬙

It’s that kind of silence that has Eichi’s stomach in knots. This is far too much for his poor heart. For his stomach, for his legs, for his arms. For everything. ⬙

He’s reminded of all the times he’s hiked up the steps to Keito’s house—that temple, all the way up there. It was always a trek, and he always had to take his time. He got sick often from overexertion. ⬙

But this isn’t like that. This area is completely flat, as they follow the marked-with-small-lights path of newly set down gravel through the trees. It’s still dangerous though. He could fall and twist his ankle or worse. ⬙

Chiaki’s at the lead, and he’s at the back. Tsumugi’s in front of him, then Natsume. They follow in a line, and he feels like he’s going to be forgotten by them if he doesn’t keep up. ⬙

Can someone like him even be forgotten? Maybe in this instance, temporarily. For better or worse, Eichi Tenshouin will always be remembered. ⬙

He coughs, still not over the previous night. He has his inhaler with him, this time, at least, as well as a bottle of water that Chiaki was kind enough to carry. ⬙

The air is thick, and it’s dark. ⬙

His stomach twists further. ⬙

He coughs again, taking a breather with one hand against a tree. Tsumugi realizes he’s not being followed anymore and stops, turning slightly to look back at him. ⬙

“Eichi-kun?” ⬙

Eichi waves a hand. “... I’m... I’m alright. Don’t worry.” He puts on a smile, takes a deep breath, and pulls away from the tree. Chiaki and Tsumugi watch him with a worried expression, but he only strengthens the smile. ⬙

“Sorry for making you stop. Shall we continue?” ⬙

Chiaki continues up the worried glance. “... If you need a break, let me know! ... He only said something about leaving at nine, so I think we can take a break or two, as long as we keep mostly moving.” ⬙

Eichi waves a hand, catching up to them. “It’s alright, I said. Don’t worry about me. In fact, the faster we get there, the better. So let’s go.” ⬙

Chiaki hesitates, looks like he wants to say something else, then turns back to the path, looking over his shoulder. Natsume and Tsumugi watch Eichi for a few seconds more, in silence, before continuing. ⬙

Eichi follows. ⬙

Eichi keeps his head down, watching the lights pass him as he takes each shaky step. Chiaki’s slowed their pace down a bit for him, and he hates that he’s mildly thankful for that. ⬙

Eventually, he’s not sure how long time has passed, Chiaki speaks. ⬙

“Ah...? Is that it?” ⬙

He raises his gaze to see a cabin of sorts, with two doors. The lights are on only on the right side, and so as they approach it, Chiaki cautiously tests the door. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... It’s unlocked. I’m gonna open it.” ⬙

And so he does, and all four of them are bathed in bright light. Eichi feels dizzy from it, but he makes it inside, quickly finding some place to sit. ⬙

After he gains his bearings and his eyes adjust, he can have a look around this side of the cabin. ⬙

There’s the soft chair he’s sitting in in the corner of the right, closer to the door. Along the back wall is a desk, with a computer on it. The desk has a chair, too. ⬙

The few windows are all closed, but the blinds are open. Underneath the windows is a table, with four white boxes, each about a foot squared. ⬙

Everyone has a look around, standing in the light. The air is musty, like it’s been sitting just like this forever. The computer looks fairly new though. ⬙

Chiaki goes to the computer and moves the mouse. The monitor flickers on. There’s a white screen with text on it. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Should I... read it aloud?” ⬙

EICHI: “... Ah, for my sake? Don’t.” ⬙

He stands again, crossing the room to stand next to Chiaki. He squints at the screen. Natsume stands on the other side of Chiaki, and Tsumugi stands behind both Natsume and Chiaki, [looking between the gap.](https://youtu.be/q1T-QN-64U4) ⬙

 

They all turn back towards the windows. The four boxes loom at Eichi, and he feels like he’s going to throw up for some reason. ⬙

NATSUME: “... Who is going firST?” ⬙

Chiaki walks up to the row of boxes. “... I will. Hahaha! Stand back, just in case... Just in case!” ⬙

Which box should Chiaki choose?  
First - Tsumugi  
Second - Natsume  
Third - Chiaki  
Fourth - Eichi  
(※To make things quick:  
Chiaki will get the winner.  
Natsume will get second place.  
Eichi will get third place.  
Tsumugi will get last place.)

Chiaki picks one at random. The third box looks good, so he chooses that one. A few seconds pass before he looks back, making sure everyone is a respectable distance away. ⬙

He’s sweating. Eichi can even see that. He feels bad for him, always willing to sacrifice himself first. ⬙

“... I’m... I’m opening it—!” ⬙

As he yells that, he takes the lid off, bracing himself for whatever may come. ⬙

Nothing happens, of course. It’s just a box. Eichi slowly opens his eyes, realizing he had braced himself, too. Chiaki sighs with relief, then pulls out a purple, rubber wristband. ⬙

He also takes out a walkie talkie, and he shakes his head at the seemingly last item. ⬙

The other three look at him, puzzled. ⬙

He shakes his head again. ⬙

Natsume steps forward cautiously, peering into the box. He blinks a few times, then looks up at Chiaki. He hesitates, reaches into the box, and Chiaki stops him, grabbing his wrist. ⬙

“... I’ll get it after all. Hahahaha! G-Go stand with the others again.” ⬙

Natsume only takes a mere step back, and Eichi takes a few steps forward. Chiaki takes a deep, DEEP breath, squeezes his eyes shut, then opens them again a moment later. He puts his hand in the box, and he pulls out a pistol—a Glock 19. ⬙

No one makes a move. Chiaki immediately sets the gun down onto the table in front of the box, pointing away from everyone. ⬙

“Hahahaha! It’s alright! I can see that the safety’s on, so, even if it’s loaded, no need to fear!” ⬙

He’s really hamming it up, isn’t he? He’s even forcing a smile. ⬙

Everyone watches him, and then Natsume finally turns to the second box. “... I wonder if there is another one in heRE, or something elSE. Are we all meant to try and harm one anothER?” ⬙

“If that is the case, then there must be a catCH.” ⬙

Eichi thinks Natsume looks terrified, too, even as he opens the box slowly at first, then quickly removes the top. ⬙

He pulls out a red wristband, similar to the one Chiaki has, only differing in color. He pulls out a headset with a microphone, as well as a thick, metallic ring, open a bit in one end. If one twists it, it could fit around a neck. ⬙

TSUMUGI: “... So it’s different. Ah, Eichi-kun, why don’t you go next? I’ll go last so you can have the next choice.” ⬙

Eichi only nods. He was intending to go next anyway. Tsumugi only read his mind—or perhaps he just knew how Eichi thought. Regardless, he walks up to the still closed box next to Chiaki’s and opens it. ⬙

Inside his box—it’s a mixture of Chiaki’s and Natsume’s: A purple wristband, a metallic ring, and a walkie talkie. ⬙

“... At least there’s no gun, right?” He chuckles, somewhat darkly. ⬙

NATSUME: “It’s almost as if we’re being dividED. The cabin is also dividED. It would only make sense if we are also as suCH.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Divided... Ah, you’re right, aren’t you? Even though I don’t want to admit it. ... Aoba, you’ve got the last one, ahahaha!” ⬙

Tsumugi nods. “Ah, thank you. I’ll go then. Please excuse me...” With a smile, he opens the box closest to him, which is the first box in the line. ⬙

Inside, it’s just like Chiaki’s—but with a red wristband and a headset. As Tsumugi pulls out with only a moment’s hesitation, there’s also a gun, as well. “... The safety is on, I think. Natsume-kun, will you check it for me?” ⬙

NATSUME: “Why are you asking mE? But, yes, it is oN. Be careful where you point iT, lest you wish for someone to get harmED.” ⬙

Tsumugi chuckles. “Of course, silly me. Let me place it down.” And he does, in front of his box. ⬙

Natsume reaches over and turns it towards the box, so it’s not facing anyone. ⬙

EICHI: “... I believe we have to click next, now, correct?” ⬙

Chiaki pauses, realizes what Eichi means, and nods. “... I’ll do it again.” And he goes over to the computer and does so. ⬙

 

Natsume and Tsumugi look at one another. Chiaki and Eichi look at one another. They all look down at the wristbands in their hands. ⬙

TSUMUGI: “... Natsume-kun, I believe that’s us. Let’s go, then...” He starts heading towards the door. ⬙

NATSUME: “You seem eagER. Do not forget about your thiNGS. I will not carry them for you at aLL.” HE starts heading towards the door, casting a sharp glare at Tsumugi. ⬙

TSUMUGI: “Ah! You’re right. Sorry, sorry... Let me get the gun, then... I guess, aha.” ⬙

It’s now that he looks a bit nervous. He retrieves the gun, and Chiaki walks them to the door on the other side. Eichi remains inside, staring at the ring in his hands. ⬙

Chiaki shuts the door behind him once he returns, and Eichi jumps. Chiaki stops walking, blinking. “... Are you alright?” ⬙

Eichi smiles, looking up. “... As alright as I can be in such a situation, Chiaki.” ⬙

Chiaki looks mildly guilty as he heads back over to the computer, standing next to Eichi. “... S-Sorry. Anyway, let’s... click next.” ⬙

“... I mean, haha, let’s click next!” ⬙

Eichi wants to tell him to stop, but he has half a mind to think Chiaki’s doing it for himself rather than for Eichi’s sake. He clicks next. ⬙

After the final screen shows, Eichi clicks ‘END’, and true as they were told, a grid pops up. Next to it are two squares that he can input a letter and number in each (letter first, then number), as well as a big button beneath that that says ‘FISH’. ⬙

Eichi leans back up, crossing his arms over his chest. “... I see. Chiaki, did you understand all of that? I suppose you’ll be the one in the most danger.” ⬙

Chiaki (very obviously now) forces a smile. “... I-I’ll be fine! It’s... I can do this! Maybe I can think of something while I’m out there.” ⬙

“It’s lucky that you got the position where you can sit!” ⬙

Eichi smiles a small smile. “I suppose that’s a blessing in disguise, if you look at it that way. I don’t think I’d last very long out there.” ⬙

He fiddles with the ring—no, the collar before holding it up to the light. As he thought, if he twists it, the opening becomes larger, and he can slip it around his neck. ⬙

He winces at the cool touch, and he feels the hair on his neck stand on end as it snaps into place. It’s definitely able to induce an electric charge of some sort. And especially on him, so weak, it’ll be fatal. ⬙

He puts the wristband on, too, then smiles at Chiaki—though he pauses when he realizes Chiaki hasn’t moved. ⬙

“Chiaki? I wonder if Tsumugi is waiting. You should hurry up and get out there if you want to be the first to collect the most of those ‘goldfish’.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... I... You’re acting so nonchalant. It’s... disturbing, even for you, Tenshouin.” ⬙

Eichi smiles pleasantly. “It’s simply reality.” ⬙

Chiaki still looks hesitant, then he laughs, heartily. “Fuhahahaha! Alright!” He’s near a breaking point already. Eichi wonders if he’ll survive out there. He snaps on the wristband and picks up the walkie talkie. “... I-I’ll,” his voice cracks, “meet you again!” ⬙

“I’ll be sure to find a way out of this! So I can see everyone else, too! Please guide me until I figure it out, Tenshouin!” ⬙

Eichi simply keeps up the smile. “Of course. Now, hurry on out there, so we can begin already. It’s far past my bedtime.” He yawns for good effect. ⬙

Chiaki salutes. “Roger! RYUSEITAI’S RYUSEI RED, Chiaki Morisawa, blasting off...!” ⬙

With that, he picks up the gun, very, very hesitantly, just in case, and exits the cabin. ⬙

Eichi sits in the desk chair, and a few moments later, the grid updates, showing a red dot in the square A1. A few minutes after that, a purple one shows up next to it. ⬙

“Ahh, Tsumugi, you were first? Fufu, I hope Chiaki is ready.” ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: A1  
RED: A1

Where should Chiaki go?

  * A2
  * B1
  * B2



[>>> B2](https://youtu.be/3-2cXNsIKHI)

Eichi studies the grid for a few seconds before taking the walkie talkie in his hands. “Chiaki? Can you hear me?” ⬙

Chiaki’s voice crackles through. “Loud and clear!” ⬙

Eichi holds the walkie talkie further away. “Okay. Don’t speak so loudly; you’ll make me deaf... To start with, go diagonally from the way you entered the area. You’ll be entering area ‘B2’, so try to find the goldfish there.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “‘B2’... I see. Roger!”

EICHI: “Tsumugi’s already moved to ‘A2’, so please, if you could, hurry on—” ⬙

There’s a loud explosion, and a square darkens into a red on Eichi’s screen. “Oh, ‘F3’. I wonder... do you think the ‘goldfish’ is destroyed?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... He did say everything would be destroyed, so most likely...” ⬙

EICHI: “Very well. I won’t let you go into those squares, then. Proceed to B2 and tell me the ‘goldfish’ you find within.” ⬙

A few minutes later, as Eichi watches Chiaki hurry on along to the square, Chiaki speaks again. “Tenshouin? It’s... D7.” ⬙

“Thank you.” Eichi inputs the coordinates into the computer. Since Tsumugi has moved to A3, he can push it without remorse for now. Two explosions sound one after another, and two different squares darken on his screen. ⬙

CHIAKI: “Uwah—that one was close!” ⬙

EICHI: “Tsumugi is one step ahead of you, Chiaki. It seems he’s continuing on to the right, and he took out ‘C1’.” ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: B2  
RED: A3

Where should Chiaki go?

  * B1
  * B3
  * C2



[>>> C2](https://youtu.be/3-2cXNsIKHI)

EICHI: “If Tsumugi is continuing right... Then continue south, Chiaki. Go to C2.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Roger!” ⬙

A few moments pass. ⬙

“... The coordinates are ‘E4’.” ⬙

Eichi inputs the coordinates, watching Tsumugi come to a stop, too. The cabin shakes as two explosions go off one after another again. He chuckles a little. ⬙

“This is kind of exhilarating, isn’t it?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “N-Not really, Tenshouin! Don’t be so grim.” ⬙

EICHI: “Yes, yes. Anyway, Tsumugi’s moved to A4 and has set off G1.” ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: C2  
RED: A4

Where should Chiaki go?

  * D1
  * D2
  * D3
  * C3



>>> D3

CHIAKI: “... Alright. Where should I go now?” ⬙

Eichi pauses, looking over the grid. There’s no rhyme or reason, as far as he can tell. Maybe it’ll show up if they keep scooping goldfish. ⬙

“Hm... Go to D3 and gather the fishie there ♪” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Hey, Tenshouin... Don’t be so lackadaisical!” ⬙

EICHI: “Sorry, you’re right. My apologies, Chiaki... I suppose this is how I’m dealing with the situation.” ⬙

There’s sweat rolling down his back, and his lungs are on fire with every breath. The least he could be allowed to do is make a few ill-humored jokes. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Sorry. It’s stressful for both of us. It’ll be okay! I’ll make it out alive and everything will be fine!” ⬙

EICHI: “How sweet. I’ll hold you to it, Chiaki.” He’s ignoring—no, they both are, almost, he thinks—that that requires at least Tsumugi to die. ⬙

Eichi hums to himself as Chiaki hurries to the next area. A few moments pass until Chiaki speaks again.

“... A3.” ⬙

Eichi inputs it. Tsumugi’s still moving. Did Chiaki make a run for it this time? ⬙

Regardless, an explosion sounds, darkening the square on his screen. Tsumugi finally stops moving, and there’s another explosion—C3 darkens. ⬙

“Chiaki?” he asks into the walkie talkie. “How are you faring? That one was close. I’m glad I didn’t tell you to go that way ♪” ⬙

Chiaki doesn’t answer. ⬙

Eichi waits a few seconds more. “... Chiaki?” ⬙

A few more seconds pass, and finally Chiaki’s voice comes through. “—shouin—?” ⬙

EICHI: “Ah, thank goodness. Are you alright?” ⬙

Chiaki coughs into the receiver, apparently, half of it cut off until he presses the button to start actually transmitting. “S-Sorry. Yeah, of course! Th-There’s just smoke everywhere... I think a fire’s gonna start soon.” ⬙

Eichi thinks for a moment. “A fire...? Well, that would only make sense. The air around here is pretty dry, despite the lake. I wonder if they purposefully did that... Regardless, be extra careful, then.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Roger!” ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: D3  
RED: A5

Where should Chiaki go?

  * C4
  * D2
  * D4
  * E3



>>> D2

Eichi continues to go over the grid, but Tsumugi’s moving already. “Chiaki, go to D2.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “And backtrack?” ⬙

EICHI: “Yes, why not? Let’s try it.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Roger.” The line goes silent as he moves. “F—” ⬙

An explosion sounds even before he can complete it. It sounds further away for Eichi, but through the walkie talkie, it’s a bit closer. ⬙

EICHI: “... Tsumugi set off H5. What’s yours say?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... F6. Is he still in the A row?” ⬙

EICHI: “He is, in A6. How methodical Natsume-kun is being. It’s almost endearing, but it makes him predictable.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “It’s distressing. If I pick an A up... Well, at least that line is over with soon...” ⬙

Chiaki’s pointedly ignoring the elephant in the room, even more than Eichi, it seems. ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: D2  
RED: A6  
FISH CAUGHT: 9  
Where should Chiaki go?

  * D1
  * E1
  * E2
  * E3



>>> D1

EICHI: “Well, let’s pick D1. I feel that there is no A7 in that square ♪ Just for you, Chiaki.” ⬙

Chiaki doesn’t answer right away, and he sounds sad when he does speak. “... Alright. I’m going.” ⬙

A few minutes pass, and Chiaki’s voice sounds. “It’s B5.” ⬙

EICHI: “Ah, close to him. This is the closest one yet, I think... Though A3 was also pretty close.” He inputs them. An explosion sounds in the distance. ⬙

Tsumugi comes to a stop in A7, and a few seconds later, B2 darkens on his screen, coupling with the explosion. ⬙

EICHI: “Ahaha, that one was closer to you. I spoke too soon. Sorry about that. Let’s not jinx it now.” ⬙

“Oh, and by the way... After this, we’re halfway through to my and Natsume-kun’s deaths.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...Ah!” ⬙

EICHI: “I’ve already accepted that, even if I don’t want to, I’ll come to die sooner than others, but I don’t think Natsume-kun deserves it. Still, Tsumugi doesn’t deserve it either, and neither do you... Ahaha, what a curious predicament.” ⬙

“Though... I suppose one death is better than two. Still, I want neither of you to die. Ahaha...” ⬙

His heart is pounding in his chest so hard that it physically hurts. Although he’s smiling, he’s not feeling it. Is he really going to die? ⬙

CHIAKI: “... One death is better than two... I-I guess, but—” ⬙

Another explosion sounds. “Tsumugi’s on the move again, you know. Now he has two on you... He took out D2. How are you?” ⬙

There’s no answer. Eichi waits a few minutes. ⬙

“Chiaki?” ⬙

Chiaki’s coughs come through the transmitter finally, before he’s able to speak. “... T-Tenshouin... F-Fire...” ⬙

Eichi notes that he’s moving on his own, to E1. Eichi doesn’t stop him—he’d rather he get away from the fire than stay and wait for him to give orders. “Be careful, Chiaki.” ⬙

Chiaki doesn’t answer, but his dot comes to a stop in E1, farther than where the podium should be with the ‘goldfish’. ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: E1  
RED: B7  
FISH CAUGHT: 12

Tell Chiaki to get E1’s fish?

  * Yes
  * No, go to F1
  * No, go to F2
  * No, go to E2



>>> Yes

EICHI: “Chiaki—! Watch the boundaries,” he warns, louder than he meant to. He’s not smiling anymore, and he uses his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Jeez. If he doesn’t die from this collar around his neck, he’ll certainly die from stress. ⬙

Maybe it’s preferable. Would that still count for the rules? But it’d most likely be slow and painful. He feels like he’s going to throw up, at the very least. ⬙

He licks his lips as he watches Chiaki backtrack to where the podium should be. His voice crackles through, raspy and coughing, but he manages: “C5.” ⬙

Eichi inputs it as fast as he can, and the square darkens as the mines explode. ⬙

Tsumugi’s already in B6. A few seconds pass after he stops before E3 darkens on his screen. ⬙

CHIAKI: “T-Tenshouin, the fire’s spreading, I have to—” ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: E1  
RED: B6  
FISH CAUGHT: 14

Send Chiaki where?

  * E2
  * F1
  * F2



>>> F2

Eichi wastes no time. “Chiaki, avoid E2! You’ll just get closer to the fire!” ⬙

CHIAKI: “A-Ah, you’re r-right,” cough, cough, “then...” ⬙

EICHI: “Go to... F2. You can get further away from the fire while avoiding any possible fires in the already blown squares... especially if there’s no ‘fish’ there.” ⬙

Chiaki’s pep and enthusiasm are gone. He coughs into the receiver. “R-Roger...” The line goes dead, and he starts moving, albeit slower than before. ⬙

Once he retrieves the ‘goldfish’ at the podium and seemingly gets his bearings back, he relays: “... C6.” ⬙

Eichi pauses. “Pardon me?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “S-Sorry. Can you hear me? It’s C6.” ⬙

An explosion sounds as Tsumugi picks up H3, from C6. ⬙

‼️CURRENT PLACEMENTS‼️

PURPLE: F2  
RED: C6  
FISH CAUGHT: 15

What should Eichi do?

  * Input C6
  * Input randomly
  * Hesitate



>>> Input C6

Eichi frowns at the screen. He inputs a ‘C’ in the first box. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Tenshouin? Can you hear me? I said it’s—” ⬙

EICHI: “I heard you, Chiaki.” His voice seems cold, solemn. Perhaps he’s getting soft? No, this is just a special occasion. ⬙

Isn’t it? It’s stressful, completely so. He inputs the ‘6’ in the second box. ⬙

“Chiaki, this will end the game.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “You... You don’t mean?” ⬙

EICHI: “[I do. Natsume-kun suspected as much as I did](https://youtu.be/ml_4sSErukI)—that there are probably no goldfish in the destroyed squares. So Tsumugi went down.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...I...” ⬙

EICHI: “I wonder if things had been different, even until this very day. If I had gone with him after school, would we be in this situation? Haha, it’s such a silly thought.” ⬙

“Though...” He releases the walkie talkie button. He smiles, then it falters. He presses the ‘FISH’ button. ⬙

An explosion sounds. ⬙

“I wish I would have treated him a little better... perhaps... then...” ⬙

He finally hears Chiaki’s voice coming from the walkie talkie, but can’t make heads or tails of what he’s saying. It’s drowned out by an obnoxious tune that signifies that he won—as well as a cartoon fish dancing across the screen, being scooped up by a poi into a bowl. ⬙

That image fades, and it’s replaced with “YOU WON”. ⬙

CHIAKI: “...shouin... Tenshouin! Tenshouin!” ⬙

Eichi Tenshouin is no longer listening, especially as the door opens. ⬙

Natsume stands in the doorway, hands shaking, all over trembling. Eichi can’t even look at him, remaining facing the computer. ⬙

He says nothing. Natsume doesn’t come closer. ⬙

Chiaki’s voice sounds through the open doorway. “S-Sakasaki—w-wait!” [He sounds incredibly panicked.](https://goo.gl/uG87uY) ⬙

The bullet lodges itself into the computer tower next to Eichi, on the desk. Sparks fly, and Eichi stands up suddenly, tripping onto the floor. ⬙

CHIAKI: “S-Sakasaki—! Tenshouin!” ⬙

Natsume drops the gun. ⬙

Eichi looks, shocked, as Natsume falls to his knees, then collapses further, taking great care to hide his face, his eyes, his expression, against the floor. Chiaki barges in, nearly tripping over him. ⬙

He’s crying already. All three are. He turns to Natsume, falling to his own knees, attempting to hold him close. Natsume shoves him away, and Chiaki falls backwards, wincing as he lands on his back. ⬙

“That... That stupid senpai... You’re always so... persistent and resilient like a cockroach, but you... now you...” He takes a deep breath, not showing his face. “... Now you are goNE, just like thAT.” ⬙


	11. ⛩️ CHAPTER 3.50: AT THE DROP OF A HAT ⛩️

[The room is quiet.](https://youtu.be/8sbU23M3DAo) This dining room. At their original seats, everyone sits with a solemn, quiet, miserable air. ⬙

Save for Madara Mikejima. ⬙

He’s mourning everyone lost the same as everyone else, but he’s one of the few smiling—the others being Chiaki, Sora, and Natsume. ⬙

Rei also wears the ghost of a smile, but if anyone were to look directly at him, it’d fade away. ⬙

Natsume keeps staring at the empty spot across the table from him, but then he’ll smile at Sora, who smiles back, and then Natsume’s eyes drift back again. ⬙

Wataru had managed to convince Shu to come down from his room, too, and with Tomoya joining them as well (similar to Natsume, he keeps staring at a blank spot, not looking away), everyone remaining is at the table. ⬙

WATARU: “Tooomoya-kun, you haven’t eaten yet today, or yesterday, so please... Would you eat for me?” ⬙

Donning a small smile directed at the boy, who finally tears his eyes away from the spot, Wataru motions to the plates in front of them both. ⬙

“Our dear Mama-kun, after all, has made this delicious feast for us... Please, do not waste it, for his sake...” ⬙

“Or HIS sake.” ⬙

Tomoya’s eyes widen. ⬙

But he nods, looking down at the food before him, and finally picks up a fork, though his hand trembles and trembles. He looks as if he’ll drop it before he forces himself to steady. ⬙

WATARU: “And Shu!” ⬙

Shu startles, clutching the doll in his arms even tighter than he had before. ⬙

“The same goes for you, my dear friend... ☆” ⬙

KANATA: “Wataru-kun is ‘correct’... We must all ‘eat’ to grow up ‘big and strong’...” ⬙

“For those ‘lost’, and for those ‘still here’...” ⬙

Madara laughs. Kanata glares at him. ⬙

KAORU: “What is it now?” ⬙

MADARA: “I think it’s just funny! Kanata-san says that, but both you and him haven’t touched your foood!” ⬙

“It’s aaalmost like you’re avoiding eating because I made it!” ⬙

KANATA: “...” ⬙

KAORU: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

REI: “Kukuku... Everyone is the same as always. Don’t ruin a nice banquet because of your paranoia, everyone.” ⬙

“Mikejima-kun is not someone so forward. Keep that in mind.” ⬙

KANATA: “...” ⬙

“As for Mikejima-kun himself, try not to see things where they aren’t.” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

“Ahahaha! Of course, of course, Rei-san! Let’s all just try to enjoy our food!” ⬙

What did Mama make?

  * Meatloaf
  * Rice and veggies
  * Salmon and rice
  * Sauteed chicken



>>> Salmon and rice

HINATA: [“... It’s good, but...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/ZDDy-uGoGFI)

KOGA: “But what? It’s good, that’s all that matters.” ⬙

REI: “No, no... Let us hear what sort of wisdom Hinata-kun will impart on us.” ⬙

KOGA: “Tch. Ya just said not to see things where things aren’t!” ⬙

REI: “Puppy, be quiet now and listen like a good boy.” ⬙

KOGA: “Fine, fine. Stop callin’ me that, though.” ⬙

All eyes fall on Hinata, but then he freezes, laughing awkwardly, nervously. Obviously, he wasn’t expecting this. ⬙

HINATA: “I-It’s just a little too spicy for me, you know... I like how my brother makes it better!” ⬙

Madara tilts his head. “Spicy? But I didn’t add any spices, just seasonings!” ⬙

HINATA: “Ahaha, s-sorry, I guess...” ⬙

LEO: “Uchuuu! It’s not spicy at all...? Did Hinata get some sort of alien fish?” ⬙

HINATA: “I’m probably just imagining things because...” ⬙

There’s a pause. Hinata looks down at his plate, and he sniffles, bangs covering his eyes. ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Press him
  * Comfort him
  * Say nothing



>>> Comfort him

There are people that are far, far more suited to this, but Madara can relate to the idea of missing your sibling. Or at least he thinks he can. Anyway, he can relate to having a sibling. ⬙

“Hinata-san! Your brother couldn’t come because he had to practice for something else, right? Don’t worry!” ⬙

“That at least ensures his safety! He won’t be in any danger at all!” ⬙

Hinata sniffles again, still not looking up. ⬙

MADARA: “So I’m sure he wants you to do your best!” ⬙

Hinata mumbles something beneath his breath. ⬙

MADARA: “Sorry, ahaha! I didn’t hear you. But that’s alright! You’ll be safe, with Mama here to protect—” ⬙

HINATA: “‘Do my best’...?” ⬙

“You think he wants me to ‘do my best’ in this place?” ⬙

“How do you think he’s going to be able to call a murderer ‘aniki’?” ⬙

MADARA: “But you’re—” ⬙

HINATA: “What do you think ‘doing my best’ would include, Mikejima-SENPAI?” ⬙

“If you’re going to protect everyone like you keep saying, why are people still dying?” ⬙

MADARA: “I—” ⬙

HINATA: “You’re turning more and more people into killers!” ⬙

“A-And at this rate, I’ll never—I’ll never get to see Yuta again, s-so, hurry up and protect everyone already, or just... or just...!” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

It is his fault, isn’t it? ⬙

What kind of mama...? ⬙

He’s only good at breaking things. ⬙

EICHI: “Now, now... Are we going to blame Mikejima-kun again? It’s just a result of people not knowing who to blame, isn’t it?” ⬙

“It’s probably not any one of us.” ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Let him speak
  * Stop him
  * Leave the table



>>> Let him speak

[Madara can’t believe his own ears](https://youtu.be/l7W7NFPv6sY)—his own suspicions for Eichi are growing, too—but he doesn’t say anything, watching Eichi with a careful gaze. ⬙

EICHI: “After all, who controls everything while we’re doing the ‘festivals’ or the like?” ⬙

KAORU: “... I guess you’re right.” ⬙

“We’re always watching one another when the festivals go on, and everyone save for maybe Itsuki-kun was present for all of them...” ⬙

WATARU: “Amazing deductions, Kaoru-kun, Eichi ☆” ⬙

LEO: “It’s true! And Mikejimamaaa was even in one of the festivals himself! Why would he go through all the trouble?!” ⬙

WATARU: “Leooo-kun! An even more AMAZING deduction ♪” ⬙

EICHI: “Wataru, what are you trying to say? Spit it out already.” ⬙

WATARU: “Of course, of course, anything for my dear Eichi... ☆” ⬙

“It may be true that we are all together for when the festivals happen, but don’t you recall? During the second one, we all had our C.A.R.D.s out to deliver messages...” ⬙

“And they are hi-tech... It is, how should I say it...? Easier to hide among them...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

WATARU: “To disguise an action as simple as pressing a button on a different screen as just checking the C.A.R.D... it is an easy feat, even for non-magicians!” ⬙

KANATA: “...” ⬙

WATARU: “So I have a proposal: We—” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Ah!!” ⬙

Everyone turns to Chiaki after his little sudden outburst, especially having been silent this entire time. ⬙

KOGA: “... what is it? Ya gonna let him finish speaking?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “N-No, I mean, yes! But, I understand what he’s getting at! Sorry!!” ⬙

“If we check everyone’s C.A.R.D.s, we can find out who the mastermind is!” ⬙

WATARU: “AMAZING, little cardinal...! ☆ That is precisely what I wanted to say!” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

KANATA: “...” ⬙

KAORU: “...” ⬙

RITSU: “... Will it really be so simple?” he yawns.⬙

EICHI: “... It’s all we have right now, isn’t it? It won’t hurt to try.” He fishes around in his pocket for his C.A.R.D., as do Wataru and a few others. ⬙

“Since it was Wataru’s idea, are there any objections to him checking them thoroughly? Though we can all place them in the middle, as well.” ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Object to Wataru
  * Object to the middle
  * Agree



>>> Agree

It would look suspicious if he didn’t agree, right? Anyway, he doesn’t have any qualms about Wataru checking thoroughly and them all putting it in the middle, too. ⬙

He has nothing to hide, after all. ⬙

Madara pulls out his own C.A.R.D., pressing the bottom button to turn on the screen. The purple interface with the time and the other information lights up. ⬙

Reading the time reminds him that they haven’t heard from P.A.P.A. since yesterday night, as the third festival was finishing up. ⬙

SORA: “So... Sora just hands his thing over to you?” He holds it out, then slides it and puts it in the middle. ⬙

NATSUME: “Good bOY. Yes, let’s all check them aLL. Only then, shall the truth be finally revealed, the smoke cleaRED.” ⬙

Everyone follows suit, sliding their C.A.R.D.s into the middle, closer to Wataru. Wataru stands up and pulls them all even closer, picking them up one by one. ⬙

“Sora Harukawa-kun...! Present. Natsume Sakasaki-kun...! Also present.” ⬙

“Hinata Aoi-kun...! Present. Rei Sakuma! Present!” ⬙

“Eichi Tenshouin...! Present, and lovelier than ever... ♪” ⬙

“Tomoya Mashiro-kun... Present! Koga Oogami-kun... Present!” ⬙

“Shu Itsuki, very present. Mademoiselle, as well!” ⬙

“Kaoru Hakaze-kun! Preeesent! Nazu—...?” ⬙

Wataru’s tone takes on a solemn note, and he holds up the C.A.R.D. that’s in his hansd. “... Nazuna Nito.” ⬙

He does not say ‘present’. ⬙

Shu glances over at Wataru, not saying anything, but he clutches Mademoiselle a little tighter. Not tight enough to hurt her, but enough to squeeze. He trembles. ⬙

CHIAKI: “What’s the meaning of this? Shouldn’t...” ⬙

WATARU: “Amazing...! A ghost from the past has come to haunt us...!” ⬙

EICHI: “... Who had his? There are still the same number of them as us remaining...” ⬙

RITSU: “... I did.” ⬙

P.A.P.A.: “Ahahaha! Long tiiiime no seeee!” ⬙

The remaining devices in the center of the table, as well as Nazuna’s in Wataru’s hand, light up. ⬙

“It’s time for an extra-extra-extra-extraaa special festival tonight: The Fourth Festival!” ⬙

“As such, it’s a super special, extra special, super duper special set of participants! Ahahahahahahahahaha!” ⬙

Madara shifts in his seat, reaching forward to draw his C.A.R.D. closer to see if anything has changed. Nothing has. ⬙

“Ritsu-san!”

Rei pauses in what he’s doing. ⬙

“Kaoru-san!” ⬙

And so does Kanata. ⬙

But not for long, as P.A.P.A. continues on. ⬙

“Rei-san! Kanata-san!” ⬙

“Meet in the game room at three in the afternoon! Don’t be late ‘for our very important date’!” ⬙

“Ahahaha!” ⬙

The screens all go dark, P.A.P.A.’s face disappearing. ⬙

Madara won’t be able to protect anyone again, huh? Maybe... ⬙


	12. ⛩️CHAPTER 4: CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK⛩️

[The gameroom is as dingy as the other day](https://youtu.be/aWa1j9VHRrc), when they were last down in it after the festival where Hajime died. The festival Madara Mikejima had taken part in and gotten out alive. ⬙

Kaoru sighs, not able to shake the suspicion quite yet. It’s far too convenient. And it’s something that he could see Madara doing. ⬙

Maybe... not killing people. But he can see Madara getting in over his head with some kind of organization. That’s what his mom wanted, after all, or did, or something. He was just a chip off the old block. ⬙

As they shuffle into the room, and Kaoru, the last one to enter, closes the door, it locks automatically, several cylinders sliding heavily into place. He looks towards the door to the lake, and that’s closed, too. He figures it’s locked. ⬙

He surveys the room, Kanata coming to cling onto his arm. He barely even notices him, looking around. ⬙

Ritsu stands far off to the side, as far away from Rei as he can, who seems to be keeping his distance almost respectfully yet longingly. He simply moves to the table that’s been set up in the center of the room. ⬙

On either side of them are two boxes each, along two different tables, making for four boxes total. They’re white, and about three feet squared in size. ⬙

Their C.A.R.D.s sound an alarm, and Kaoru pulls his out as fast as he can to shut it off, wincing. P.A.P.A.’s face shines bright and true, as he laughs. ⬙

PAPA: “Ahahaha! We’re going to play a gaaame! What kind of festival isn’t complete without a little gambling?” ⬙

RITSU & REI: “...” ⬙

KANATA & KAORU: “...” ⬙

Kaoru feels Kanata move a little closer. Kaoru moves closer, too. Ritsu turns his head down and away, and Rei continues to peer at his C.A.R.D. ⬙

PAPA: “There are instructions on the table. Make sure to read them aloud so all can hear!” ⬙

“After you play a round, then the next set of instructions will ring clear!” ⬙

“A tip: There will only be one winner, ahahahah!” ⬙

KAORU: “W-Wait, one? All of the rest of us will die?” ⬙

KANATA: “... Only ‘one’... Kaoru...” ⬙

REI: “Kukuku... I will ensure it will be my darling Ritsu.” ⬙

RITSU: “...” ⬙

PAPA: “Try to think of how the other people will think and feel, ahahaha!” ⬙

The C.A.R.D. shuts off, the screen dimming as soon as P.A.P.A.’s face has disappeared. Kaoru puts it back into his pocket, sighing a bit again. ⬙

“... Don’t worry. I’m sure there’s some kind of trick,” he tries to reassure. Kanata holds his arm tighter, even as he moves closer to the table. ⬙

“These are the instructions, right? I’ll... read them, I guess.” ⬙

“‘You will be playing a game called King’s Coronation. The goal of the game is to reduce your cards to zero and wed the King as the Queen. But there’s a Rogue on the loose! Catch him at the end of the game before he assassinates the King!’” ⬙

“‘There are forty-four cards in the specially made deck. They are labeled 0 through 10 and there are four suits: The Moon, The King, Renewal, and Rebirth. There is only of each suit per number.’” ⬙

“Everyone starts off with four cards in their hand. The rest of the cards are placed in the center, as the Tower, face down. This is the drawpile.” ⬙

“One card from the Tower is placed facing up, and it will start the Well. Once cards are placed in the Well, they cannot be picked back up and are considered “wished upon”.” ⬙

“Another pile will be formed called the Gallows. This will be the discard pile. Once cards are placed in the Gallows, they cannot be picked back up and are considered “dead”.” ⬙

“Gameplay begins with the person to the left of the dealer. They must either place a number that is below, the same, or above the current number, or a card that matches suit regardless of the number shown on either card.” ⬙

“Cards labeled 0 are wild cards. When played to the top of the Well (they do not have to be matching suit), the player can choose anyone to give the effect to, including themselves.” ⬙  
  
“The Moon: The player must draw four cards.   
The King: The player draws six cards. They discard two cards of their choosing.” ⬙

“Renewal: The player discards all of their cards. They draw the same number of cards they had prior to discarding.   
Rebirth: The player discards all their cards. They draw four new cards.” ⬙

“Gameplay ends when someone gets rid of all of their cards OR the last card from the Tower is drawn. In the event of the latter, the number of cards each player has will determine their placement.” ⬙

“The first person to get rid of their cards is the winner, or Queen. The person with the most cards is the loser, or Rogue. Those neither Queen nor Rogue are considered Civilians.” ⬙

“... That’s it on the instructions.” ⬙

REI: “We’re to report to him once finished, yes?” ⬙

“Then there are more instructions after just a simple child’s card game.” ⬙

RITSU: “Can you really call this a child’s card game?” ⬙

KANATA: “... We should ‘start’, then... and see what ‘happens’ after... That’s all we ‘can do’.” ⬙

KAORU: “... I guess. Let’s get this show... on the road? I don’t know.” ⬙

※We will now decide the placement of everyone at the table.  
‘1’ will be dealer and is the winner of the poll.  
‘2’, ‘3’, and ‘4’ are the respective second, third, and fourth place of the poll.  
Please choose wisely.

Who will deal?

  * Kaoru 3
  * Kanata 2
  * Rei 1
  * Ritsu 4



Rei chuckles. “I will elect myself to deal. Is that alright with everyone?” ⬙

“Being my age, I have had plenty of time and experience in dealing cards... Everyone can trust me to be fair.” ⬙

Kaoru takes a seat, and Kanata takes a seat next to him. “Yeah, yeah. Just get it over with, you old man.” ⬙

Rei takes a seat next to Kanata, and having nowhere else to go, Ritsu sits in between Rei and Kaoru, frowning slightly. ⬙

[Rei takes the deck of cards on the table](https://youtu.be/-0kVwCXrQZ4), Kaoru holding the instructions so they’re out of the way. They’re square cards, rather than rectangular. All of them really are labeled with 0-12, as well as the names of the suits. ⬙

 

 

“We all start with four, so here...” ⬙

After he finishes dealing, Kaoru is left with the following cards:

10, 3Moon 6King 0Renewal

He does not have any REBIRTH cards, represented by Rebirth. ⬙

Rei shuffles the remainder cards and places them as the Tower. He flips one over to start the Well—a 4 of King. ⬙

KANATA: “... So... it is ‘my turn’... then... Alright.” ⬙

He furrows his brows, drawing a card, then another, then placing one down. There are only 25 cards left of the Tower once he’s finished. ⬙

Looking at Kaoru’s hand again, he realizes he can place the 6 of King down, and so he does. He has three cards left, whereas Kanata has five. ⬙

Gameplay passes to Ritsu. He immediately places a 6 of Moon down. He has three cards left too. ⬙

Gameplay passes to Rei, who draws a card and places it down—the 7 of Rebirth. ⬙

Kanata furrows his brows again, looking down at his hand, then at the Well. He looks as if he’s going to draw another card, and then he does. There are 23 cards left in the Tower. ⬙

He places it down. A 0 of Moon. ⬙

“Rei-san... I choose you. That means you ‘draw’ two of the ‘cards’.” ⬙

He has five cards remaining. Rei chuckles, silently drawing two cards, bringing his total up to six. ⬙

Kaoru looks down at his hand again:

10, 3Moon 0Renewal

What card should he place down?

  * Place 10 of Moon
  * Place 3 of Moon
  * Place 0 of Renewal
  * Draw 1



>>> Place 10 of Moon

There’s really no need to draw another card. He has two moons and a wild card, so any of his hand could work. He picks one at random, choosing the 10 of Moon. ⬙

Gameplay passes to Ritsu, who hesitates, as if deliberating, and places a 2 of Moon down. ⬙

Rei chuckles. “Very good, my darling Ritsu, only two left, now... It looks as if I have this card, as well.” ⬙

He places a 4 of Moon down, bringing his total cards to five. ⬙

Kaoru doesn’t think Rei understands the rules, but he seems to be doing okay. They just have to finish the game first. ⬙

Kanata smiles a little, as if he’s having fun, then places the 3 of Renewal down. That brings his total to four cards.⬙

KANATA: “Kaoru... This is almost ‘fun’, isn’t it...? I wish I could play ‘normally’ with everyone...” ⬙

KAORU: “You’re sayin’ that like we can’t go back and tell them about it... C’mon, keep your chin up.” ⬙

Kaoru looks at his cards again. The only ones he has left are:

3 of Moon  
0 of Renewal

What should he do?

  * Place 0 of Renewal
  * Draw 1



>>>Place 0 of Renewal

He doesn’t want to draw another card if he doesn’t have to. Using up a special card like this already is kind of worrying, but... ⬙

Who should he use the 0 of Renewal on?

  * Himself
  * Kanata
  * Rei
  * Ritsu



>>>Ritsu

There’s no reason for him to use it on Kanata... Besides, using it on him or Rei would deplete the Well big time. He’ll settle for Ritsu, who only has two. ⬙

“Ritsu-kun... Sorry~ I don’t know your plan, but you’ll redo your two cards, right?” ⬙

Ritsu blinks in surprise up at him, and Rei waves a hand. ⬙

“Now, now. You should not have picked my darling Ritsu... Perhaps me, yes, but not him. Still...” ⬙

“He will bounce back from it. I’m sure. Kukuku. Ritsu is intelligent.” ⬙

Ritsu puts both of his cards in the Gallows, drawing two more cards. The remaining Tower is at 19. ⬙

“You don’t have to stick up for me. Just play the game.” ⬙

It’s Ritsu’s turn now, though. He hesitates at his new cards, then draws one card, another card, then another. He finally places down a 6 of Renewal. ⬙

The Tower is now at 18. ⬙

Rei doesn’t have to draw any more cards, though. He places down the 0 of King, smirking. ⬙

“Kaoru-kun. If you would, please...” ⬙

Kaoru looks at the instruction sheet again. “Six cards? Are you fucking kidding me? Fine, fine.” ⬙

Kaoru’s new hand is as follows:  
3 of Moon  
7 of Moon  
7 of King  
10 of King  
0 of Rebirth  
2 of Rebirth  
9 of Rebirth

  
From which suit should he discard two?

  * Moon
  * King
  * Rebirth



>>>Rebirth

It’d be stupid to waste a 0 of Rebirth, so he saves that, discarding the 2 and 9 of Rebirth. If the Rebirth is a wild card, then to have two other different suits would be best. ⬙

Kanata pouts slightly, now that it’s his turn, and places down the 9 of King. ⬙

Kaoru has five cards. Kanata has three. Ritsu has five. Rei has four. So far, Kaoru is losing. There are 12 more cards in the Tower. ⬙

Kaoru’s hand is as follows:  
3 of Moon  
7 of Moon  
7 of King  
10 of King  
0 of Rebirth

  
What should he do?

  * Place 7 of King
  * Place 10 of King
  * Place 0 of Rebirth
  * Draw 1



>>>Place 7 of King

It doesn’t really matter, in the end, which King card he puts down, but he DOES have another 7. He places the 7 of King down, and gameplay passes to Ritsu. ⬙

He places down an 8 of King. Gameplay passes to Rei wordlessly, who chuckles as he places down a 2 of King. They both have four and three cards left respectively. ⬙

Kanata draws a card, then another. He places that card down, bringing the Tower’s count to 10, and his own card count to four. ⬙

The card he’s placed down is a 1 of Rebirth. ⬙

Kaoru thinks briefly that he shouldn’t have gotten rid of all of his Rebirth cards except the one. ⬙

His cards are as follows:   
3 of Moon  
7 of Moon  
10 of King  
0 of Rebirth

  
What should he do?

  * Place the 0 of Rebirth
  * Draw 1



>>> Draw 1

He doesn’t want to waste it just yet. There’s not really enough cards to do that, and he needs to get rid of some more to try and get in the lead. So he draws one, and thankfully, it’s a 6 of Rebirth. ⬙

He places it down immediately. ⬙

Kaoru has four cards, still. Kanata has four, Rei has three, and Ritsu has four. There’s eight left in the Tower. ⬙

It passes to Ritsu, who places down a 5 of King. Rei places a 1 of King down. Kanata places a 1 of Renewal down. ⬙

Kaoru’s cards are as follows:   
3 of Moon  
7 of Moon  
10 of King  
0 of Rebirth

  
What should he do?

  * Place the 0 of Rebirth
  * Draw 



>>>Place 0 of Rebirth

He figures it’s time. He’s not sure exactly who he’ll choose, but... He doesn’t want to draw another card. He has to win. He has to. He’s not thinking about the consequences. ⬙

He places it down. ⬙

Who should he use the 0 of Rebirth on?

  * Himself
  * Kanata
  * Rei
  * Ritsu



>>>Rei

“Sakuma-san, you made a mistake earlier by choosing me! Now, I choose you~ Pick four cards!” ⬙

Rei frowns, clicking his tongue. “... How you bit back. Fine, I will.” And then he does. Only four cards left in the Tower. ⬙

Now he has three cards. Ritsu, who places a 4 of Rebirth down, has three now too. Rei, who places a 10 of Rebirth down, has three. Kanata, though, has four—he had to draw a card, then places down the 5 of Rebirth. ⬙

Kaoru has no choice but to draw, now. ⬙

He draws two cards—the second of which is the 4 of Renewal. He sighs from relief, placing that down. His cards, after placing it down are as follows:   
3 of Moon  
7 of Moon  
10 of King  
8 of Renewal

Ritsu goes down to two cards after placing the 3 of King. Kaoru hopes it stays there, but of course, it doesn’t. Rei goes down to two after placing the 2 of Renewal. Thankfully, Kanata places a 10 of Renewal, and Kaoru manages to stay afloat by placing the 8 of Renewal. ⬙

Ritsu places the 9 of Moon, bringing him down to one card. ⬙

Kaoru mentally cheers as Rei has to draw two cards. He places the 8 of Moon, making his card count four. Why’s he sweating? ⬙

Kanata places the 8 of Moon, and Kaoru places the 7 of Moon. It doesn’t matter which. They’re in the final stretches. At least he won’t be considered either winner or loser. ⬙

Ritsu yawns as he puts down the 1 of Moon. ⬙

“... I won.” ⬙

Rei grins, delighted. “That’s my darling little Ritsu for you. I knew he could do it...” ⬙

Kaoru rolls his eyes, sighing. “Whatever. That means me and Kanata-kun tied for the second place—civilians, right? Huh. And you’re the Rogue. ... That fits your type.” ⬙

KANATA: “But... does the Rogue ‘die’...?” ⬙

[The air freezes](https://youtu.be/7j2cNGej9PI)—but only for a split second before it chills even further. Hidden contraptions leap out of the walls, which split apart into compartments, and leather ropes manage to grab onto Ritsu, pulling him back. ⬙

The ropes slither back into the wall, the compartments closing, and Ritsu slams into said wall. Kaoru knocks back the chair he was sitting in as he stands abruptly; Kanata falls backwards, onto the ground. ⬙

“Ritsu—” ⬙

Kaoru hears Rei’s voice before suddenly his wrists and back hurt, very, very much. ⬙

As the dust settles, Kaoru realizes HE’S been slammed against the wall in a similar fashion, too. He looks around, eyes wide, head hurting like a motherfucker, and spots Kanata, similarly bound to the wall by his ankles and wrists, knocked out. ⬙

Kaoru struggles against his restraints, but they just grow tighter with every struggle. ⬙

“Stop! Let me fuckin’ go—! What the hell?!” ⬙

“... Sakuma-san?” ⬙

Rei stands amidst the chaos as it finally starts to slow down, and he blinks a few times, standing there, just standing there. Dumbly. Like a motherfucker. No restraints have bound him to the wall. ⬙

REI: “... Ah, Ritsu!” He finally seems to have put two and two together, rushing over to his brother’s side. Ritsu turns his head away, though even from here, Kaoru can see the beginnings of tears. It really did hurt like a bitch, so he understands. ⬙

A loudspeaker from the corners of the room sounds, and P.A.P.A.’s voice comes clear as day. ⬙

“Hahahahaha! It’s time for part two! You, Rogue-san! You wooon! Or, maybe!” ⬙

“To be honest, you’ve just entered the ‘eye of the storm’!” ⬙

KAORU: “What—What is this all about?” ⬙

PAPA: “I’m about to tell you! If Rogue-san kills all of the Civilians and the Queen on her way to the coronation, then he can be let go!” ⬙

“If he just wants to kill one of you and take his chances in another game, he can kill one of you, and a new round will start!” ⬙

“And if he doesn’t kill anyone in twenty minutes, completely, all dead, then all four of you die! Ahahah!” ⬙

Kaoru can hear the sound of gas whistling from somewhere. Goddamn. He’s got his bases covered, huh? The stupid prick. ⬙

“Though you miiight want to kill before then, ahaha! Or else you’ll start to lose function of your limbs and you’ll die anyway!” ⬙

“Anyway, inside those boxes are murder weapons! Choose aaany that you like, Rei-san—Rogue-san!” ⬙

The speaker cuts out, and they’re left in silence. ⬙

Kanata is still knocked out, hanging from his arms on the wall. Kaoru’s eyes dart over to the brothers, and Rei’s given up trying to get him down. It’s much, much too thick of leather to simply pull. ⬙

“Sakuma-san! What are you going to do? Fucking hell.” ⬙

Now he knows why he was sweating. He should’ve lost, he should’ve lost. But then could he have killed someone? Could he have killed Kanata? Both of these positions fucking suck to be in. ⬙

Rei moves away from Ritsu, then simply looks into one of the boxes, pulling out a revolver. He checks to see if it’s loaded, then cocks it, pointing it at Kaoru from across the room. ⬙

KAORU: “Stop, stop, wait, wait, wait! Sakuma-san! Hold on!” ⬙

REI: “... Kukuku. It was a pleasure to see you scared, Kaoru-kun.” He lowers the gun, closing the box and setting it on top of the lid. “It’s fully loaded, however. Isn’t that interesting?” ⬙

KAORU: “N-Now’s not the time to be cryptic, you bastard!” ⬙

RITSU: “...” ⬙

REI: “Well, then, who should I kill to give Ritsu another chance? Now that we know what will happen, if Ritsu loses on purpose next round, then he can—” ⬙

RITSU: “I’m not going to kill anyone, anija.” ⬙

Rei looks over at Ritsu, who seems to have also gone limp in his restraints. ⬙

“Even though... I switched places with Nazunyan... with Nazuna-senpai, so I didn’t have to room with you... you still try to get me to like you...” ⬙

“But I won’t ever forgive you, anija, and I won’t ever forgive you for this, either.” ⬙

“So kill me for real, anija. You already did long ago.” ⬙

Both Rei and Kaoru are stunned into silence. Kaoru’s never really heard of what Rei did to him. Was it because he went abroad and left him behind? But, no, that was Ritsu’s idea, wasn’t it...? ⬙

What went on in the Sakuma family? ⬙

Rei abruptly moves, covering his eyes with a hand. ⬙

“... Ritsu. You really don’t feel that way towards me, do you?” ⬙

RITSU: “Of course I do. I hate you, anija. So kill me.” ⬙

What should Kaoru do?

  * Take Ritsu’s side
  * Say nothing
  * Take Rei’s side



>>> Say nothing

[He can’t say anything.](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ) It’s not his business. He has no idea what Rei did to make Ritsu hate him so much... He has no idea what went on. He doesn’t WANT to know. He wants to stay out of it. ⬙

He turns his gaze towards Kanata, whose head seems to be bleeding through the blue of his hair, near the back. Kaoru a little bit more, but he can’t get out at all. ⬙

Rei moves to the next box. He opens it up, finding a length of rope, already tied in a mocking noose, for easy strangulation purposes, presumably. Kaoru can’t really see the ceiling to see if it’s for anything but. ⬙

RITSU: “Anija! Just kill me! You’re going to run out of time, anija! And you’ll die too!” ⬙

Rei doesn’t say anything, sniffling a little as he moves to the third box. Inside of this box are two, recently sharpened butcher knives, ready for stabbing, slashing, whatever. Kaoru feels a shiver run up his spine, but Rei puts them back. ⬙

Rei brushes past him on his way to the fourth box. ⬙

“O-Oi... Sakuma-san... C’mon, say something... Go check on Kanata, will you, please?” ⬙

Rei pauses, glancing over at Kanata, but he persists to the fourth box. ⬙

Ritsu struggles against his restraints. “Anijaaa—! Anija, kill me! Just kill me, or you—you’ll die, too, so, so, so, please!” ⬙

REI: “B-Be quiet...!” His voice cracks, and he keeps his back to Ritsu as he covers his face with both hands. “I... Ritsu... I...” ⬙

He throws open the lid to the fourth box, pulling out a bag of loaded syringes, filled with a liquid. ⬙

Kanata moves over on his wall, tilting his head up slowly, wincing. ⬙

“... Ka... oru...? Re...i...?” ⬙

KAORU: “Kanata—! Are you—are you alright? Just... Just stay there, I’ll... I’ll figure out a way out...” ⬙

“Ah, Sakuma-san! The knives! You can use the knives to cut us down, and then... We can figure something out, so just! Just!” ⬙

Rei doesn’t move back towards the knives. He’s still holding the bag of syringes—there’s four of them. He opens the bag up, taking one out and holding it up, dropping the bag back into the box. ⬙

“... I... Ritsu... Sorry.” ⬙

“Kanata-kun, Kaoru-kun, sorry.” ⬙

KAORU: “... Sakuma-san, stop. Stop it! What are you doing?” ⬙

Rei ignores him. “I made you hate me so bad, my darling Ritsu. I’ve only ever wanted your love as a brother...” ⬙

“I don’t... even remember... but I’m sorry, Ritsu.” ⬙

He rolls up his sleeve, wincing as the needle goes into his arm, as the liquid goes in. He pulls the needle out roughly, tossing it away. It immediately begins to take effect, and he stumbles forward, then sideways, then forward again, falling against the table with the cards. ⬙

He coughs, and he coughs again, and again, and again, until he spits up blood. He loses his balance, his strength, and falls to the ground, scraping at the table. ⬙

KAORU: “S-Sakuma-san—! Sakuma-san, just hold on! Sakuma-san!” ⬙

He struggles near violently against the restraints, but now they’re so tight that he doesn’t even have any wiggle room. Tears bloom in his own eyes, but he doesn’t let them fall just yet. ⬙

There’s still time, right? ⬙

There’s still time! ⬙

Rei collapses in a heap on the floor, still coughing, his breathing ragged. He scratches at his neck until it bleeds, at his arms, at everywhere. Blood keeps pooling from his mouth onto the floor, his face red as a tomato. ⬙

KANATA: “... Rei... You’re leaving so ‘painfully’... I wish it had at least ‘been quick’...” ⬙

There has to be time. There has to be. He can’t watch this. Kaoru can’t, Kaoru can’t. ⬙

Ritsu’s voice cuts through the air. “Nii-chan! Nii-chan! I-I’m sorry! I... I just wanted... wanted y-you to live... Nii-chaaaaan!” ⬙

Rei stops moving, stops coughing, still bleeds. ⬙

[Ritsu sobs, even as the restraints finally loosen](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g) and he falls to the ground. Kaoru tumbles out, too, and so does Kanata, falling to the ground. ⬙

RITSU: “Nii-chan... Nii-chan... I... I’m so sorry...” ⬙

The closest boxes to him are the ones with the gun and the noose, so he goes for the one with the gun. Kaoru can’t move fast enough, and the gun that Rei had placed on top is in Ritsu’s hands. ⬙

Ritsu aims it at Kaoru, and Kaoru skids to a stop, hands in the air defensively, open palms facing Ritsu. ⬙

“R-Ritsu-kun, c’mon, it’ll be—” ⬙

RITSU: “I don’t want nii-chan to be lonely anymore.” ⬙

He turns the gun to his own head, and he whispers something beneath his breath, and he— ⬙

[Kaoru stumbles backwards](https://t.co/nFHOosHojs), falling onto his ass, nearly hitting his head against the hard floor. He winces, hissing beneath his breath, and swallows thickly. ⬙

“... K-Kanata. Kanata?” ⬙

He turns towards where he last saw the man, who stands there with wide, wide eyes, before they steel themselves, along with his expression. ⬙

Kaoru stands up, looks back to where Ritsu landed in a heap similar to his brother, and moves closer to Kanata immediately. ⬙

Kanata, meanwhile, has moved closer to Rei. ⬙

KAORU: “... K-Kanata, what are you...?” ⬙

Kanata, with his back turned to Kaoru, doesn’t stop moving, even reaching down to pick up Rei by the arms. “... We have to ‘put them’ to where they are ‘together’...” ⬙

“He doesn’t want Rei to be ‘lonely’... but he did that, all the way ‘over there’... so let’s move them.” ⬙

He pulls on Rei, scrunching up his nose as he tugs him, sliding the body across the floor, the thin carpet, somewhat easily. ⬙

Kaoru blinks a few times before shaking his head, sighing. He moves to stand next to Rei, and Kanata pauses, as if waiting for him. Kaoru bends down, picking up Rei like he’s done so often before, and stands back up. ⬙

He’s covered in blood. Both of them are. He closes his eyes, taking several deep breaths, then walks over to Ritsu, setting him down next to his brother. ⬙

Kanata leans down and poses them so that they’re facing one another, with an arm over one another. He takes off his own jacket and covers both of their heads with it, then clasps his hands together in front of him, praying. ⬙

Kaoru watches him wordlessly, then follows suit, closing his eyes and praying. ⬙

Sakuma-san... Don’t be lonely... Your brother loved you after all... And keep Adonis happy, too. ⬙

In the silence of their prayers, though, he still hears the gas leaking. He’s starting to feel sluggish himself, now that the adrenaline of being so close to a gunshot has worn off, of carrying someone you looked up to’s corpse has worn off. ⬙

He glances over at Kanata, who holds his head in one hand, the other hand trying to reach out for Kaoru but missing. Kaoru closes the distance with both of his own, pulling him into an embrace. ⬙

Kaoru feels as if he’s going to fall at any second, the more time passes, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t hold Kanata so tightly. That’s the only thing keeping him standing, even as Kanata starts to lose more and more strength. ⬙

Kanata sniffs, burying his face into Kaoru’s chest. ⬙

“... Rei... made them ‘angry’... I can... ‘feel’ it...” ⬙

Kaoru tries to pull them both over to a chair, sitting down in it. He practically falls into it, looking over at the table coated in Rei’s blood. He pulls Kanata in his lap, as if he were a child. ⬙

“What are you talking about?” ⬙

Kanata puts his hand on Kaoru’s face, cupping it, even though he’s shaking, trembling, like a leaf. His face pales and pales with each passing second. ⬙

“... Them... They’re ‘angry’ at him for ‘cheating’... I’m... sorry, Kaoru... I...” ⬙

His hand falls to his chest, and Kaoru finds that he has no strength to lift his other arm to put it back. ⬙

“Kanata... who... are... you talking about...?” It’s getting hard to breathe, let alone speak. ⬙

Kanata swallows, closing his eyes, using all of the last of his strength on these words. ⬙

“... the... Performers A—” ⬙


	13. ⛩️ CHAPTER 4.5: HA▉TE MAKES WASTE ⛩️

[MADARA: “...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/__6LaavwGWw)

LEO: “...” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

It’s lonely. ⬙

The bedroom is very quiet. It’s very lonely. It’s very... ⬙

Madara isn’t sure of the words. He’s certain that none of them slept last night. Leo clung to him, shaking slightly, eyes closed tight, but never fell asleep, judging from just HOW hard he had clung. ⬙

He didn’t mind it in any capacity, but he wasn’t able to close his eyes at all. He’d only see Kanata’s dying face. Kaoru’s dying face. Rei-san, Ritsu-san. The others. ⬙

And Chiaki... ⬙

He had tried to stay quiet over the night, but he couldn’t. Only weeping quietly, in one of the beds, in his bed, trying very, very, very hard to cover it up. ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

But now it’s morning, and although his face and eyes are red, Chiaki refuses to cry, as if he was trying to be brave. Madara could see right through it. ⬙

They got ready in silence, then all went down to the main room together. Leo clung to Madara’s arm, refusing to let go, moving slowly. Madara had half the mind to pick him up. ⬙

He watches Chiaki’s back as they walk. ⬙

MADARA: “... Chiaki-san.” ⬙

Chiaki hesitates, then glances over his shoulder. He doesn't look all the way back at all, his bangs covering most of his face. “Yes, Mikejima-san?” ⬙

MADARA: “It’s going to be alright. Mama’s here.” ⬙

Chiaki hesitates again, then turns forward, starting to walk. “...” ⬙

Madara feels his heart twist. Is even Chiaki losing faith in him? ⬙

He looks down at Leo still clinging onto his arm, who looks down at the ground as he trudges along. How long until Leo loses faith, too? ⬙

He’s already lost one person who means the world to him yesterday. So what about the other two? ⬙

Is it only a matter of time? ⬙

Can he do nothing? ⬙

He feels so powerless. He can’t even comfort people properly. He can’t even reassure everyone that it really will be alright. He can’t do anything. ⬙

He continues to walk, watching Chiaki’s back and trying to steady his breathing. ⬙

LEO: “... Madara?” ⬙

Madara doesn’t look at him. “... Wh-What is it? Ahahaha!” ⬙

LEO: “... You don’t have to try so hard, you know... We’re all very sad.” ⬙

“Kanata was your friend... Our friend... And the others... Rei... The others before them...” ⬙

“... I-I miss them, too, Madara, so it’s okay...” ⬙

“It’s okay to cry.” ⬙

It almost sounds like he’s talking more to himself than to Madara at this point—especially as he starts sniffling, especially as he holds tight to Madara, moves even closer still. ⬙

“It’s... o-okay to miss them... a-and wish... everyone was... back... I-It’s... o-o-okay...” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

“... You’re right.” ⬙

“You can cry all you want, Leo-san. Mama’ll be here to hold you.” ⬙

He can’t cry now, himself. He has to be there. He has to be mama. ⬙

He wraps his arm around Leo’s shoulders, and the trio walk the rest of the way in silence. ⬙

The main room is very quiet. No one wants to speak. Madara pauses with Leo in the doorway until he pulls Madara further inside the room; Madara sits on one of the chairs, and Leo sits in his lap, leaning back. ⬙

Chiaki sits in an adjacent chair, hanging his head. Natsume and Sora look out the window, with Shu close by, clutching his doll tightly. ⬙

Eichi coughs on one of the sofas, Wataru rubbing his back. Tomoya sits next to Wataru with dead eyes, muttering beneath his breath. ⬙

Koga lingers near the kitchen, eyes closed, anger and despair clear on his face. Hinata sits on another chair, face in his hands, leaning forward. ⬙

No one wants to speak. ⬙

SHU: “‘Shu-kun was thinking about who those ‘performers’ are. Does anyone know?’” ⬙

“‘Shu-kun thinks that whoever they are are doing this. Right? I agree too!’” ⬙

KOGA: “We’re all performers, aren’t we? Fuck. Any one of us could be doin’ it.” ⬙

WATARU: “Or anyone that isn’t here, as well... Huhu... ♪” ⬙

EICHI: “That’s true... Mikejima-kun, was there any rhyme or reason to who you invited? I know that you can be rather thought out when you want...” ⬙

MADARA: “... No. I just invited who I wanted.” ⬙

EICHI: “... Why did you invite us here anyway?” ⬙

WATARU: “I am beginning to think there was an underlying motive... but what?” ⬙

MADARA: “I invited a lot more, you know. But some couldn’t make it, and some I couldn’t get a hold of, so I forgot about. There’s no motive from me.” ⬙

KOGA: “There’s not really any ‘rhyme or reason’ or whatever to who’s picked, huh? Sure, we’re all Yumenosaki students...” ⬙

NATSUME: “Perhaps that is the reaSON.” ⬙

KOGA: “... Huh?” ⬙

NATSUME: “We are all students of Yumenosaki AcadeMY. There are many references to that, such as the first festival being music relatED. The choices for who is in which festival do not seem as random as once thought, eithER. It is only what they want us to belIEVE.” ⬙

EICHI: “... You’re right. The first one... People related to Itsuki-kun and Otogari-kun.” ⬙

WATARU: “... The second had been Mikejima-kun and his lover, and the two Ra*bits remaining.” ⬙

Chiaki’s voice cracks. “Then people related to Tenshouin.” ⬙

NATSUME: “Two UNDEAD, a brother with baggage, and a friend and lovER.” ⬙

KOGA: “But why not, like, that Hibiki...senpai, for the one with the president?” ⬙

“... and why Adonis?” ⬙

NATSUME: “I told yoU. It is only what they want us to beliEVE. That it is simply a random set of people choSEN.” ⬙

SORA: “Giant-san, how did you know about this place? Sora wants to know... It’s so pretty otherwise...” ⬙

MADARA: “... It’s one of my clients. I asked him to use it.” ⬙

EICHI: “And who is the client? Is it him that’s doing this, I wonder...” ⬙

Madara hesitates. “... No. It can’t be. He’s unrelated completely to Yumenosaki. But...” ⬙

The C.A.R.D.s ring. Leo jumps in Madara’s lap, sniffling, as they both pull theirs out, as does everyone else, at varying speeds. ⬙

PAPA: “Ahahahaha! Is everyone having fuuun? It’s really fun, right? Enough dilly-dallying now! The fifth festival is on its way!” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

SHU: “Who are you?” Shu asks, not as Mademoiselle, but as himself, in a quiet, scared voice. ⬙

PAPA: “Papa, that’s who! Ahahah! Papa’s here! Aaaaaaanyway, let’s find out who gets to celebrate next! Ahaha!” ⬙

“Sora-san, Koga-san, Hinata-san, and Wataru-san! Ahaha!” ⬙

NATSUME: “PardON?” ⬙

SORA: “...?” ⬙

KOGA: “What?” ⬙

HINATA: “...” ⬙

EICHI: “...” ⬙

WATARU: “Hooh...” ⬙

PAPA: “Make sure to have fun and get ready! Today... it’ll take place in Bedroom number Four! Ahahaha! Make sure to aaaaaaaaall meet there ‘in a jiffy’ at twelve noon! Don’t be late, or else, ahahaha!” ⬙

MADARA: “... or else, huh...” ⬙

NATSUME: “That room is...” ⬙

TOMOYA: “Hibiki-senpai...?” ⬙

WATARU: “Hoho! Yes? It’ll be just fine. I’ll come back safe and sound just for you... ☆” ⬙

NATSUME: “And sacrifice Sora?” ⬙

WATARU: “...!” ⬙

EICHI: “We don’t know the rules of the new festival yet...” ⬙

NATSUME: “But can you kILL?” ⬙

“Can you kill him, Wataru-niisan?” ⬙

Natsume’s trembling, arms crossed over his chest. Madara thinks if they weren’t, he would have been trembling a lot more apparently. ⬙

NATSUME: “... Wataru-niisan, you’re not allowed... t-to die either.” ⬙

SORA: “Shisho~... Don’t worry! Wataru-ni~isan and Sora will return safe and sound! Everyone will! Okay, Shisho~? So don’t be so blue!” ⬙

HINATA: “...” ⬙

KOGA: “...” ⬙

WATARU: “... Our darling little Sora is right. I’ll make sure everyone returns safe and sound to everyone else’s beloved arms... ☆” ⬙

EICHI: “... Wataru... I...” ⬙

WATARU: “Do not worry, my beloved...” Wataru takes Eichi’s face in his hands, cupping it gently, and kisses his forehead. “I swear it!” ⬙

He turns to Tomoya, patting his head. “Tomoya-kun! You too!” ⬙

Sora nods. “Right! Hina-chan, Koga-chan, and Sora will return, too!” ⬙

KOGA: “Koga-chan, huh...” ⬙

PAPA: “Oh boo hoo hoo!” ⬙

“Enough waterworks! Just ‘be there or be square’! Ahahaha! Farewell, farewell...!” ⬙

The purple helmet fades out, and Madara hears sniffling near the window. ⬙


	14. ⛩️CHAPTER 5: ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY⛩️

[SORA: “...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/FMBScNW_CNc)

KOGA: “...” ⬙

HINATA: “...” ⬙

WATARU: “... ♪” ⬙

SORA: “Wataru-ni~isan... Sora will be okay, alright. So worry about yourself. Sora knows what you’re thinking.” ⬙

“Hina-chan has to worry about himself, too! Sora will be alright!” ⬙

“And Koga-chan, too!” ⬙

“We’ll all be alright!” ⬙

Everyone’s colors are so, so dim. Everyone’s moods are down. Even if they smile, Sora can tell. Sora can see that no one believes that they’ll come out alive. ⬙

Including himself. ⬙

But he’ll try his best for shisho. ⬙

WATARU: “Amazing! What a spectacular outlook... We will. I will make sure of it! Huhuhu!” ⬙

Sora can tell he’s lying. But he stays quiet. It’s better to be positive in this situation, right? Shisho would try to be positive. ⬙

And so they march on, towards the bedroom that only Natsume, Shu, and Sora sleep in now. Towards perhaps their deaths, but Sora prefers not to think about that. ⬙

[The room is dark when they enter.](https://youtu.be/uvHx3SFy70I) Wataru switches the light switch, but the lights do not turn on. Sora uneasily shuffles inwards, Hinata following close behind. Koga moves all the way in hesitantly, and Wataru shuts the door, last. ⬙

The door locks automatically. Sora’s smile fades a little more. ⬙

A few minutes in the dark pass before the lights flicker on, slowly, and the bedroom was as how they had left it. The only difference is the addition of a table, with two things underneath two different cloths on top. One item is larger than the other. ⬙

Which should they uncover first?

  * The larger one
  * The smaller one



>>> The smaller one

Who should uncover it?

  * Wataru
  * Sora
  * Hinata
  * Koga



>>> Wataru

All four approach the table, with Wataru in the front as if protectively. Sora notices that there are four chairs around in a circle, with straps on the back and arms. He doesn’t like the look of that, feeling uneasy. ⬙

WATARU: “Fufu... What are these, I wonder? Please, stand back, everyone, and I will find out...” ⬙

Wataru reaches forward, for the one closest to him—the smaller, flatter item. He hesitates with his hand over top of it, then pulls it off. ⬙

Underneath is a knife—a large knife, to be exact. One used to cut meat. The same kind of knife that had been in the previous festival—a butcher’s. ⬙

Sora feels even more uneasy, but still tries to keep up his smile. Wataru’s smile fades, and so does his color as he chuckles a bit. ⬙

Wataru tucks the cloth in his sleeve, then reaches for the second cloth. He glances back at everyone else, and after there are no objections, he flicks the second cloth off of the larger item. ⬙

[Underneath is a calico cat](https://youtu.be/5cv85RhOu9o), with a fairly large collar, sleeping soundly. Purring. ⬙

Once the cloth has been pulled off all the way, and all four of them blink down at it, the cat finally stirs, whisking its tail back and forth, then sitting up. It looks at them... knowingly? ⬙

???: “Good afternya-oon!” ⬙

The heavily distorted color... voice comes from a speaker on the collar around the cat’s neck. Sora shakes his head, blinking at the overwhelming sensation that sends goosebumps up his arms. ⬙

Somehow, though, the color seems familiar... Whose? ⬙

Koga practically barks at the cat, taking a step back and away, half behind Wataru. “Freaky cat.” ⬙

HINATA: “It’s just the collar... So I don’t think it’s really talking.” ⬙

KOGA: “Still fuckin’ freaky if you ask me. Like it’s peering into my soul.” ⬙

???: “My name is Mike-kun!” The cat purrs even more, tail swishing. It tilts its head. “I will be your host for the next festival. I hope that’s nyalright with everyone!” ⬙

WATARU: “Hoho, how interesting... A cat for a host! Amazing ☆” ⬙

KOGA: “See! It knows somethin’ I don’t. I don’t like it.” ⬙

The cat bows its head. “If it’s not nyalright, then I’m very sorry. But you’ll be stuck with me until the very, veeery end.” ⬙

It picks its head back up, seemingly smiling. “Nyahahahaha!” ⬙

The other four stare in disbelief. ⬙

SORA: “... Even though the kitty isn’t talking, it sure acts like it is...” ⬙

But whose color is this? Is one of their friends behind this after all? ⬙

HINATA: “Maybe it’s not a real cat... a robotic one, or something. Lifelike? Haha, that’s kind of scary...” ⬙

WATARU: “Animals are very, very smart. Perhaps it is just well trained. Good boy, good boy.” ⬙

Wataru goes to pat its head, but it shies away, hissing immediately. ⬙

“Oho... Perhaps not. Amazing!” ⬙

The cat goes back to how it was sitting, then the speaker around its neck seemingly turns back on. “We’re going to play a game. Are you familiar? It’s a very easy one!” ⬙

“Higher or Lower!” ⬙

“First, let’s take some seats! It doesn’t matter where you sit, but choose wisely anyway!” ⬙

※To choose arrangement of seating,  
First place will be ‘1’, second place will be ‘2’, and so on.  
Choose wisely.

Where should everyone sit?

  * Sora - 1
  * Hinata - 3
  * Koga - 4
  * Wataru - 2



Everyone takes their seats. Sora sits in between Koga and Wataru, and Hinata sits opposite of him. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Make sure to put your arms through the straps! And your body, too! It’ll hold you in niiice and tight! If you don’t, you’ll die.” ⬙

Sora is hesitant to do as he’s told, but he eventually does, shaking. He doesn’t like this color of this cat. ⬙

The straps tighten on their own — around his chest, around his wrists. He hears Koga wheeze, looking up at everyone. ⬙

KOGA: “Jesus, loosen it up a bit, could you? I can hardly breathe!” ⬙

Mike-kun seems to ignore Koga. “I’m glad everyone did as they’re told! Now, let’s go over the rules!” ⬙

[Something flickers](https://youtu.be/HnOgVV0cJ2g), and above Mike-kun suddenly is a large twenty sided dice—Sora realizes it’s a hologram, seemingly projected from the cat’s collar, like some of the things they’ve used in shows before. ⬙

Mike-kun’s tail swishes from side to side, but the cat seems perfectly content. It sort of does remind Sora of Giant-san. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “When the die rolls, the nyamber on the bottom will be the nyamber that we use, so that everyone can see it.” ⬙

“For every round, I will roll the dice twice. The first time will be the starting nyamber. The person who is up will guess higher or lower, and I will roll it again.” ⬙

“If they guessed correctly, they win the round, and play passes to their right.” ⬙

“If the resulting nyamber is higher when they picked lower or vice versa, then they lose, and they will be released. However... once released, they must kill the person on their left.” ⬙

“They can be as quick or as slow as they want, but they must use the knyaife.” ⬙

“If you do not kill the person or start to kill the person to your left within ten minutes, everyone but yourself will die by poison injection from a secret compartment in the chair.” ⬙

“Can you live with that guilt? Ahahaha!” ⬙

“Shall we begin?” ⬙

The room is silent. Sora can feel sweat drip down his back. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Let’s begin with the person in seat one.” ⬙

The cat lazily stands up on all fours, coming to stand in front of Sora himself. Sora shakes his head slightly, glancing to Wataru on his left. He could never... ⬙

There’s a dice rolling sound effect from the collar. Sora’s eyes are drawn to the purpleish dice, and it falls... on the number eight. ⬙

“The number is: 8. Is it higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Higher

Sora thinks for a little bit. Everyone, including the cat, is watching him. He feels sick to his stomach, and the cat’s distorted voice, distorted colors, are giving him a headache. ⬙

“... H-Higher,” he finally squeaks out. ⬙

The dice rolls again, and it lands on... ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[Congratulations](https://goo.gl/WhgxLn), seat number one. It landed on nine. You pass this round.” Mike-kun swishes its tail again before padding silently over to stand in front of Koga. The dice rolls as he walks. ⬙

“Seat number four. Ahahaha! It’s: 12... Higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Koga now has all the eyes on him. And it’s killing him. This is so much pressure. If he loses this, can he kill Sora? Can he do it? ⬙

He decides he’ll just not fucking lose. “Lower,” he spits at the ugly cat. ⬙

The dice rolls again, and it lands on... ⬙

“A: 5.[Congratulations](https://goo.gl/WhgxLn), seat number four. You pass this round.” The cat swishes its tail and walks over to Hinata. ⬙

Sora shakes his head, biting his lip. The distorted voice... The color... ⬙

Hinata’s color is so quiet as he squeaks once the cat sits in front of him, dice ending its roll. ⬙

“Seat number three. The dice has landed on: 9.” ⬙

There’s something weird about how it says the numbers. Disjointed. It’s... a different, even more distorted color, but decidedly different. A different person? ⬙

“Will the new number be higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Higher

The cat swishes its tail as it waits for Hinata’s answer. Hinata hesitates, eyes darting to Koga, then to Sora, then to Wataru. Koga is his beloved senpai. Could he kill him? ⬙

He can’t be wrong. ⬙

He stutters as he says: “Hi, higher.” ⬙

The cat seemingly smiles as the dice rolls above his head, and it lands on... ⬙

“[Congratulations](https://goo.gl/hAuUm8), seat number three. The winning number is: 14. You pass this round.” ⬙

The dice rolls as Mike-kun passes on, towards Wataru. Sora lets out a small breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. But it’s only beginning, isn’t it? ⬙

“Seat number two. The number is: 5. Is it higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Higher

Wataru doesn’t hesitate. He won’t lose, but he won’t put any less thought in it either. He has to appear strong for his juniors. He has to. ⬙

“Higher ♪” ⬙

The dice rolls, and it lands on... ⬙

“[Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2EjyaeK), seat number one. It landed on: 7. You pass this round.” ⬙

Wataru sighs sweetly, smiling proudly at himself. He didn’t lose. He won’t. He’ll protect everyone, after all. ⬙

The dice rolls as Mike-kun walks over to sit in front of Sora, again. Sora closes his eyes, not wanting to see the result. ⬙

“Seat number one. Ahahaha! It’s: 7... Higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Sora peeks his eyes open. He panics, and he says: “... L-Lower.” ⬙

He closes his eyes again as the dice rolls. He just wants this color to go away. His head hurts. It lands on... ⬙

“A: 2.[Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2Ug2Ylk), seat number one. You pass this round.” The cat swishes its tail and walks over to Koga. ⬙

Koga freezes up, turning his head down and away. He avoids looking at Sora at all costs. He doesn’t want to see what he looks like. Not when... Not when... ⬙

KOGA: “... Wh-What is it, ya stupid cat?” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Seat number four. The dice has landed on: 15. Will the new number be higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Koga... can’t lose. He just can’t. He can’t kill someone, no matter how rough he may be on the outside. He’s not tough. He’s not, he’s not. He huffs, still not looking up, and answers: “Lower.” ⬙

The cat seemingly smiles as the dice rolls above his head, and it lands on... ⬙

“[Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2Ug2Ylk), seat number four. The winning number is: 8. You pass this round.” ⬙

Koga lets out a breath, his head leaning back until it touches the back of the chair. He feels a chill run down his spine. ⬙

The cat pads along to stand in front of Hinata, licking one of its paws. ⬙

“Seat number three. The number is: 13. Is it higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Hinata looks away from Koga, too. He had watched him as he answered, but he finds himself unable to look. He stares at the cat’s paws, instead. ⬙

“... Lower...” ⬙

The dice rolls, and it lands on... ⬙

“[Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2Ug2Ylk), seat number three. It landed on: 9. You pass this round.” ⬙

Hinata sighs, closing his eyes. Thank goodness. ⬙

The cat meows as it walks to stand in front of Wataru again, then sits down, licking its paw once more. ⬙

“Seat number two. Ahahaha! It’s 10... Higher or lower?” ⬙

Higher or lower?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Wataru doesn’t hesitate again—maybe, just maybe, a bit of hesitation, but he says, quickly: “Lower.” ⬙

The dice rolls, and it lands on... ⬙

Wataru smiles as the sound comes from the collar. “Amazing... ♪” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “A: 3. [Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2Ug2Ylk), seat number two. You pass this round.” ⬙

Mike-kun is quick to head over back to Sora, but it pauses. ⬙

“It has been two rounds and no one’s died. Let’s spice it up... Ahahaha!” ⬙

The smile is quickly wiped from Wataru’s face, eyes steeling themselves. “Pardon?” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “You must now choose either Much Higher, Higher, Lower, or Much Lower. Much Higher is when it is three or more higher than the number. Much Lower is when it is three or more lower than the number.” ⬙

“So... If you roll a 10, and choose Much Higher... Then the winning number is 12, you LOSE.” ⬙

“Likewise, if you roll a 10, and choose Higher... Then the winning number is 15, you also LOSE.” ⬙

HINATA: “H-Hold on... The chances are much more complicated now!” ⬙

KOGA: “Yeah! This is bullshit!” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Careful, carefuuul, now...” ⬙

Sora pauses, staring at the cat, and he sniffles. He can’t even rub at his eyes, since his arms are strapped down. “... Shisho...” ⬙

WATARU: “Sooora-kun! Do not worry... All will be fine! ♪” ⬙

“You’re a smart boy... You can figure out the chances! May luck be on your side!” ⬙

[SORA: “I...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/Z6kTdLs1aG0)

MIKE-KUN: “Seat number one. The dice has landed on: 6. Will the new number be Much Higher, Higher, Lower, or Much Lower?” ⬙

9 Higher or lower?

  * Much Higher
  * Higher 
  * Lower
  * Much Lower



>>> Much Higher

Sora thinks for a moment, remembering Wataru’s words. He looks up at him, biting his lip. He’s not smart with math... That’s Shisho... So what good is he? ⬙

“... M-Much higher... Sora picks much higher.” ⬙

It makes sense. The dice rolls above the cat’s head, and it lands on... ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[There was a:](https://bit.ly/2EgkSQ6) 10% chance... of rolling a number within the: Lower range. The number you have rolled is: 5.” ⬙

Sora’s restraints immediately unlatch, and he’s free to go. He blinks a few times, shaking like a leaf. “... What?” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Using the knife, please kill the one in: seat number two.” ⬙

Sora rubs at his eyes with both hands, shaking his head. “K-Kill? Sora... Sora can’t...” His head hurts, and the voice is just making it worse, worse, worse... What are these colors? They’re so muddled, but... ⬙

“You have: 10 minutes remaining.” ⬙

[KOGA: “Jesus...” ⬙](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHIVeWhCMU8)

HINATA: “S-Sora-kun, I...” ⬙

WATARU: “Sora-kun,” he says, voice gentle. “It’s going to be alright, amazing ♪ If you kill just me... you can save our other friends, yes?” ⬙

“You have to return back to Natsume-kun, as well. He’s losing all of his friends he relies on, even if he doesn’t admit it... You, of all people, know this of him the best.” ⬙

“So return to him, and keep him company.” ⬙

SORA: “...Uuu... Shisho... Wataru-ni~isan...” ⬙

Will Sora use the knife to kill Wataru?

  * Yes
  * Hesitate more
  * No



>>> Yes

[Sora stands up](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g), eyes still closed. He sniffles. “... Watar-ni~isan, you’re his dear friend too. Very, very, very, very, veeery dear! He gets so bright when he talks about you... S-So, Sora... I won’t.” ⬙

Wataru laughs heartily. “Sooora-kun! Didn’t you hear Mike-kun? I die either way, even if you don’t. So... It’ll hurt us both, and it’ll hurt Natsume-kun, but it is something you must do.” ⬙

Sora picks up the knife, sniffling even more now. His hands shake, and he comes to stand in front of Wataru. ⬙

“... S-Sora... I... don’t want to. I don’t want to...” ⬙

Wataru beams at him. “... Sora-kun. You have to. It will be alright. I will just have to say hello to Rei in Heaven! Or... do vampires go elsewhere? Regardless, I am certain I will meet him in the afterlife... ☆” ⬙

Sora sniffs again. “... Are you scared, Wataru-ni~isan?” The colors... His head hurts, and he wants to throw up from being so scared himself, but as he clutches the knife close to his chest, he sees Wataru’s colors. ⬙

Black, black... watercolored and washed out... Fearful and purple and blue. ⬙

It’s not festive, not magical, like it usually is... It’s beautiful but in a sad way. Faded, already. ⬙

Wataru blinks, then laughs sadly, glancing down. “... Sora-kun is so talented.” ⬙

“Nothing can get past you. That’s why you have to go back to Natsume-kun and make sure he knows himself.” ⬙

“So, Sora-kun...” ⬙

Wataru shuts his eyes, biting his lip, and tilts his head back, exposing his neck. ⬙

“I must go say hello to the people that raised me, as well. I miss them. That is why, although I’m scared, I will go.” ⬙

Sora sniffles again, and he nods. “... S-Say hello... to senpai, too... Shisho... misses him... So... please... tell him Shisho is... alright, and that he loves him, since... since I can... see it...” ⬙

With two shaking, trembling, quivering hands, he holds the knife out, sharpened edge downward. He closes his eyes. ⬙

KOGA: “W-Wait. H-Hibiki-senpai... You said you’d see that shitty vampire, right?” ⬙

“... Tell him... he’s a moronic bastard... but...” ⬙

HINATA: “... t-tell... Sakuma-senpai... that I said hi, too.” ⬙

Wataru laughs, sadly. “... Amazing! You all care for Rei so much. So I will do as I am asked. Now, Sora-kun... You’re running out of time. Hurry, now...” ⬙

Sora steadies his hand, eyes still closed, and presses the edge to Wataru’s throat. He’s never done this before... He doesn’t know what to do... He... He’s never... even thought of it. ⬙

“... Sora... I... I’m sorry, Wataru-niisan.” ⬙

And he presses hard, and he slices downward, to the side. The cut is messy, and Wataru grunts. Blood gushes forth from the resulting wound. Thankfully, it’s angled enough, trailed enough, that the artery has been cut. ⬙

WATARU: “I’m... s...orr...y...” ⬙

But he’s still alive, for just the briefest of moments. ⬙

Sora drops the knife, and then no one moves for the few minutes it takes for Wataru to bleed out, and then die. ⬙

Sora sobs. He wails, sliding down to his knees. He clutches at Wataru’s now slick with blood pants, the hem of his blazer, tugging on it. “W-Wataru-niis-san... Wataru-niisan... S-Shisho... Shisho... Please help... Help Sora...” ⬙

“Sora’s sorry... He killed... I killed someone... beloved... Sora’s... s-so sorry... I...” ⬙

“Sora couldn’t... even... do it right... Sora’s so... so-sorry...” ⬙

“Shi... Shisho————!” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[Congratulations](https://youtu.be/Z6kTdLs1aG0). You have killed the one in: Seat number two... within the time limit. Please return to your seat for the next round.” ⬙

KOGA: “Wh-What? You gotta be kiddin’ me...!” ⬙

HINATA: “Wh... We have to continue?” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “The same rules will apply as before, with Much Higher, Higher, Lower, and Much Lower. Please choose wisely.” ⬙

“If you do not return to your seat in: 5 minutes... a gas will fill the room and kill the remainder of you slowly and painfully.” ⬙

Will Sora return to his seat?

  * Yes
  * Hesitate
  * No



>>> Yes

KOGA: “O-Oi... Hold on a minute... Alright, let’s... At least ONE of us gotta live, or somethin’, s-so... Harukawa, c’mon! Get back in your seat.” ⬙

HINATA: “S-Sora-kun... It’s going to be alright... Remember what Hibki-senpai said, and... and live for Sakasaki-senpai, alright? Come on... I don’t want to lose you too.” ⬙

Sora picks himself off of the floor, just slightly, staring up at Wataru’s dead eyes. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “If you do not return to your seat in: 4 minutes... a gas will fill the room and kill the remainder of you slowly and painfully.” ⬙

Sora stands up, leaning heavily against the table as he makes his way back to the chair, falling down into it. “... b-be quiet... you make Sora’s head hurt...” ⬙

The straps tighten around him again, and he wheezes. Mike-kun goes to stand in front of Koga, now. The dice rolls. ⬙

“Seat number four. The number is: 9. Is it Much Higher, Higher, Lower, or Much Lower?” ⬙

10 Higher or lower?

  * Much Higher
  * Higher
  * Lower
  * Much Lower



>>> Much Higher

Koga bites his lip so hard he swears he tastes iron. He looks over at Sora, who’s looking Wataru. His eyes have dulled, and the blood on his yellow jacket sleeves is starting to dry. ⬙

The odds... “Much higher.” ⬙

The dice rolls. And it lands on... ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[Congratulations](https://bit.ly/2Ug2Ylk), seat number four. It landed on: 16. You pass this round.” ⬙

Koga sighs in relief. “Oh thank fuck.” ⬙

And then Mike-kun stops in front of Hinata. ⬙

“Seat number three. Ahahaha! It’s: 11... Much Higher, Higher, Lower, or Much Lower?” ⬙

11 Higher or lower?

  * Much Higher
  * Higher
  * Lower
  * Much Lower



>>> Much Lower

He can’t think this quick... but... he thinks that he has a slightly better chance if he picks... “... Much lower.” ⬙

The dice above the calico cat rolls, and it lands on... ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[There was a:](https://bit.ly/2EgkSQ6) 10% chance... of rolling a number within the: Lower range. The number you have rolled is: 10.” ⬙

HINATA: “...!” ⬙

KOGA: “... W-Wait! Wh-What?! Are ya... Are ya serious...?!” ⬙

Sora shakes his head. “H-Hina-chan has to...?!” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Using the knife, please kill the one in: seat number four.” ⬙

Hinata’s restraints come unlatched, and he rubs at his wrists. ⬙

“You have: 10 minutes remaining.” ⬙

HINATA: “[I... I can’t, kill...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHIVeWhCMU8) Oogami-senpai... This is crazy...” ⬙

Koga struggles in his restraints, but he can’t get out at all. “What the hell? Let me out! For fuck’s sake... c’mon, c’mon! Enough of this shit!” ⬙

SORA: “...” ⬙

HINATA: “I... Oogami-senpai, please calm down... I...” ⬙

KOGA: “B-But if ya don’t, Harukawa’ll die too, right?! S-So...” He falls limp in the chair, sighing. “And... And I won’t let ya do that to him! Not after what you told me!” ⬙

SORA: “What you...?” ⬙

“... This ain’t your fault at all! Right! Haha, it’s just... a chance for me to see my two senpai and Adonis again. Right? So... So just get it over with, quick! Stab me in the heart or something like I was that shitty vampire!” ⬙

“Let me go out in d-damn style! The true UNDEAD way!” ⬙

HINATA: “... Oogami-senpai...!” ⬙

Will Hinata use the knife to kill Koga?

  * Yes
  * Hesitate more
  * No



>>> Yes

KOGA: “[There’s](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g)... There’s no use hesitating. Just... Just take it and stab me. Alright? Don’t do it in a damn uncool way, okay? I gotta show that shitty vampire that I can be cool! Cooler than him, even in death!” ⬙

Hinata stands up after a few more moments of hesitation, and he shakily picks the knife up from where Sora had dropped it. He quickly moves away from Wataru’s corpse. The cat curls up on the table. ⬙

Sora looks between the two, tears welling up in his eyes again. ⬙

Hinata moves to stand in front of Koga, as much as he could. He’s moved in between him and Sora, as if he were blocking Sora’s view. ⬙

It also puts him closer to the heart. ⬙

KOGA: “I read once that ya gotta take it out to make it faster,” he says, hushed. “S-So... So make sure to do that. Maybe do it twice. It’ll be a-a-awesome, or some... something.” ⬙

Sora knows that Koga is terrified too. More than Wataru. But he’s being even braver than Wataru had been, and Sora knows, somehow, that asking him will only yield negative answers. So he leaves it go. ⬙

But he does sniffle, tears rolling quietly down his cheeks. He turns his head away. ⬙

Hinata raises the knife, high above his head, still shaking, still trembling, still quivering. Can he really do this? What would Yuta think of him? ⬙

Could... Could he even face Yuta after this? ⬙

KOGA: “... I m-miss Adonis so much,” Koga wails, his charisma breaking. “S-So please, just, just fuckin’ do it already!” ⬙

Hinata swings. ⬙

KOGA: “...rk!” ⬙

And he pulls it out, like instructed. And he swings again, like instructed. And when he pulls it out a second time, he realizes, as he drops to his knees, knife falling from his hands, Koga’s head lolling in front as he seemingly loses consciousness, that he’s sobbing. ⬙

“... Yuuuuuta-kuuuuuuun...!” ⬙

“I-I’m... I’m sorry, senpaaaaaaaaiiiiiii...” ⬙

“I-I want... to go... hoooooome...!” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[Congratulations](https://youtu.be/Z6kTdLs1aG0). You have killed the one in: Seat number four... within the time limit. Please return to your seat for the final, speed round.” ⬙

HINATA: “N-No! I-I’m sick... I’m sick of all of this... I want... to go home! I want to see Yuta-kun again! I want to go hooooooome...!” ⬙

SORA: “H-Hina-chan...” ⬙

His colors hurt Sora’s chest. He didn’t want to listen. It hurt too bad. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “If you do not return to your seat in: 5 minutes... a gas will fill the room and kill the remainder of you slowly and painfully.” ⬙

Will Hinata return to his seat?

  * Yes
  * Hesitate
  * No



>>> Yes

Hinata wails and wails and wails. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “If you do not return to your seat in: 4 minutes... a gas will fill the room and kill the remainder of you slowly and painfully.” ⬙

SORA: “H-Hina-chan...! Please... Sora can’t have you die... So... Stand up, please, and sit, and play with me, like we always play!” ⬙

But he’s sobbing too. His head hurts so badly. From the voice, from the crying, from the colors. ⬙

“If you do not return to your seat in: 3 minutes... a gas will fill the room and kill the remainder of you slowly and painfully.” ⬙

Hinata’s had enough. But he can’t let Sora die. He can’t stand, crawling over to his chair, around the pool of blood near Koga’s chair, and grabs onto his own chair. He drags himself into the chair, and the restraints latch again. ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “[We will now begin the final, speed round.](https://youtu.be/X_8o4si2A5w)” ⬙

“We will roll a 50 sided dice.” The die above him swaps to a different dice. ⬙

“The first number will be set at 25.” ⬙

That number... was the same color as the rest of the sentence, Sora realizes. ⬙

“Both of you will choose Higher, Lower, or Same. You cannot choose the same thing, so it’s ‘first come, first served’.” ⬙

“Same constitutes the numbers 20-30.” ⬙

“Lower is 1-19. Higher is 31-50.” ⬙

“Then we will roll the dice.” ⬙

“Whoever guesses right will win. Whoever guesses wrong will lose. If the die rolls ‘same’ numbers and no one has picked same, we will go again and the round will not count.” ⬙

“Going by the best two out of three, whoever loses the most will die via poisoned injection from the chair. We will... We will spare you this time.” ⬙

The color...! ⬙

“Please state your first guess.” ⬙

Who will guess first?

  * Sora
  * Hinata



>>>Hinata

Sora swallows thickly, sniffly, trying to calm his tears down. “... H-Hina-chan can go first.” ⬙

What will Hinata pick?

  * Higher
  * Same
  * Lower



>>> Same

Hinata pauses, biting his lip. “... Sora-kun... are you sure?” ⬙

Sora nods. “... Yeah! Hina-chan can go first, and Sora will pick second!” ⬙

HINATA: “Then... I’ll pick... ‘same’.” ⬙

Maybe he can get close to 25... ⬙

“What will you pick, Sora-kun?” ⬙

What will Sora pick?

  * Higher
  * Lower



>>> Higher

“Sora...is going to pick... Higher.” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “The one in seat one has picked: Higher. The one in seat three has picked: Same. Let’s roll the dice.” ⬙

The dice above the still sleeping on the table cat rolls, and it lands on... ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Congratulations, seat number one. The number is: 48.” ⬙

Sora blinks, shaking his head, looking at Hinata. Both look as if they’re deer caught in headlights. ⬙

Sora’s still got a headache. But he’s able to see the color more clearly, after that slip up earlier when more emotion got through... The person behind it isn’t so robotic after all. ⬙

“Please state your second guess.” ⬙

HINATA: “Sora-kun... have you noticed anything off about the... cat?” ⬙

SORA: “Huh...? Like what?” ⬙

HINATA: “... it only... really says the same things.” ⬙

SORA: “...” ⬙

HINATA: “...” ⬙

“Sora-kun, you can go first this time.” ⬙

What will Sora pick?

  * Higher
  * Same
  * Lower



>>> Lower

Sora thinks for a moment. “... Sora will... go with Lower then.” ⬙

“What about Hina-chan?” ⬙

What will Hinata pick?

  * Higher
  * Same



>>> Higher

Hinata also thinks for a moment. “... I’ll... do Higher now.” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “The one in seat one has picked: Lower. The one in seat three has picked: Higher. Let’s roll the dice.” ⬙

HINATA: “... like a robot.” ⬙

SORA: “But they’re not a robot at all... Their color is so sad, Hina-chan, as much as Sora can see it.” ⬙

“And they get a different color when saying things like... the numbers, or right now, when they said ‘higher’ and ‘lower’!” ⬙

HINATA: “...! Have you seen the color before?!” ⬙

SORA: “... Sora doesn’t know. Sora doesn’t know how to describe the color yet. It’s too hard.” ⬙

HINATA: “That’s alright, take your—” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “Congratulations, seat number one. The number is: 17.” ⬙

“You’ve won the festival! Ahahahah!” ⬙

SORA: “There! It’s... It’s sad and dark red, but I think... it’s being darkened by something!” ⬙

“And... it’s sort of similar to the one that comes out of the phone... but distorted... differently.” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “We will now... proceed with your ‘prize’.” ⬙

HINATA: “Wait, prize? I’m the one that—” ⬙

“————ah!” ⬙

SORA: “... Hina-chan?” ⬙

The bands around Hinata’s wrists all prick into him, and suddenly his skin is on fire. Sweat rolls down his forehead, and he shakes his head. ⬙

[“... Sora... kun.” ⬙](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g)

His throat already seems to be closing up, that quickly. His arms burn. His chest burns. His face burns. ⬙

The cat yawns. ⬙

“Sora... kun... I... I wanted to go home, and I... wanted to... p-play with you more... and play with Yuta-kun more... and... perform... and become famous and have... fun... but...” ⬙

Sora’s already tearing up, pulling at the restraints. ⬙

“Hina-chan...?!” ⬙

MIKE-KUN: “The prize is the death of your friend.” ⬙

SORA: “H-Huh?! Wa-Wait! At least... At least give us more time...!” ⬙

When Mike-kun ‘speaks’ again, although it’s distorted, it doesn’t sound quite like the previous voice. It sounds pained. ⬙

“Suffering... waits for no one.” ⬙

SORA: “... like the sun?” ⬙

HINATA: “Sora...kun... I... I had wanted to say... for a long time, but... thank you... for always believing in me, and... and helping me, and...” ⬙

He’s tearful now, some of them spilling over his smooth cheeks. ⬙

“A-And...” ⬙

SORA: “...” ⬙

“... It’s alright, Hina-chan. Sora already knows.” ⬙

HINATA: “... Huh...? Wh...” ⬙

It hurts. He wants to go home. ⬙

SORA: “... Your color is always so bright when you talk to Sora, Hina-chan. It’s easy to tell that it only colors like that for Sora and no one else...” ⬙

“It’s like when Shisho talks about Senpai, or when Wataru-ni~isan talked about President-san.” ⬙

“It was the same color. So Sora knows.” ⬙

HINATA: “...” ⬙

“... uu...” ⬙

“Aaahh...” ⬙

He can’t speak. It hurts. ⬙

SORA: “Sora loves you too, Hina-chan. Sora will always love you... e-even...” ⬙

“Even after today, Sora will always love you, and Sora’ll tell everyone about how great you are, even after Sora graduates.” ⬙

“Sora’ll... I’LL watch over Yuu-chan, too. Shisho... would invite him to Switch, where he can belong again... I will ask, just for Hina-chan.” ⬙

Hinata’s chest had stopped rising as Sora kept speaking. He still continues on. ⬙

“A-And... we’ll remember the happy days. I’ll keep playing and having fun, enough for the both of us.” ⬙

“And I hope... that you can visit sometimes, too. Shisho says that Senpai might do that, so... please visit, too, Hina-chan.” ⬙

“Yuu-chan would want you to visit too... A-And... And...” ⬙


	15. ⛩️CHAPTER 5.5: DEVIL’S ADVOCATE⛩️

[EICHI: “Wataru—!” ⬙](https://youtu.be/Gkp_3swOw5c)

Eichi wails, and he wails, even before they had been allowed into the bedroom. Once the door unlocks and they do enter, he hurries over to the corpse of Wataru, draping his arms around him from the side, holding him tight. ⬙

There are no regards to the blood that splashes on him, stains his clothes a deep, deep crimson. ⬙

Natsume pushes past Eichi to Sora’s side. ⬙

Truthfully, they hadn’t been let into the room for several hours after the festival had ended. Sora had sat here and continued to speak to Hinata, promising him all of the things he would do for Hinata’s behalf. ⬙

Madara and Chiaki both working together to knock down the door hadn’t worked at all, even though they desperately had tried. They could do nothing but listen to Sora on the other side of the door. ⬙

So Sora is still all teary eyed, muttering to himself something over and over, incoherently. Natsume presses the back of his hand to Sora’s forehead, then cups his cheeks in both hands. ⬙

The restraints on Sora finally unlatch as he does so, and immediately, Natsume pulls him into an embrace instead. ⬙

Sora blinks, surprised at the sudden movement. It only lasts a few moments before he tears up again, sniffling, clutching onto Natsume’s blazer and holding him back just as tight, crying into his shoulder. ⬙

“Shi-Shishoooo... Sora... Sora had to... Sora’s... Sora’s sorry...” ⬙

“S-Sora... I had to take... Wataru-niisan... from you...” ⬙

Natsume pets his hair comfortingly. “It is not your fault,” he says, relatively softly. “It... is not your fault...” ⬙

SORA: “Shishooo... Shishooo... I want... to go home... back to how everything... was...” ⬙

Natsume falls silent, strangely enough, and just holds him. He doesn’t want to promise something he can’t follow through with. Even he can’t do that. ⬙

SHU: “...” ⬙

Shu stands in between Hinata and Koga, bowing his head respectfully. ⬙

“... They had been beloved juniors, and Rei’s beloved kids...” he says, not as Mademoiselle, but as himself. He does hold Mademoiselle closer, though. ⬙

“‘But at least they can be with him now,’” says Mademoiselle. ⬙

EICHI: “W-Wataru... Wataru, why... I—I...” ⬙

Eichi begins to cough, near violently. Madara finally moves further into the room, but he hesitates for a few moments. When Eichi’s coughing fit doesn’t seem to calm down, he places a hand on his back, trying to pull him away. ⬙

“That’s enough, now, Eichi-san.” ⬙

He never thought he’d be doing this. Not for Eichi. He never, in a million years, expected to be comforting Eichi. ⬙

Eichi tries to pull away from him, staggering off to the side, and takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm his breathing down. Madara watches him, quietly, quietly. He feels bad, glancing back at Leo. ⬙

Leo hangs back in the doorway, with Tomoya and Chiaki on either side, both looking in with abject horror written across their faces. ⬙

They had never been able to see the bodies before. Disposed of one way or another, or simply left to rot in the gameroom in the basement for now... It’s heart wrenching, and even Madara wants to leave this room. ⬙

TOMOYA: “Hibki... senpai... You...” ⬙

“You left me too...?” ⬙

Leo sniffles, rubbing at his eyes. He just shakes his head, unable to say anything. ⬙

Chiaki is similarly stunned into silence, like a deer caught in headlights. He even looks like he’s going to be sick, if he isn’t already. More sick, more red. He covers his mouth with one hand, finally closing his eyes tightly. ⬙

Eichi points at Madara, shakily, still tears in his eyes. It’s half hearted, at best. “... I did not think you... c-could do something like this, but... But who else? Who else would be so brutal? Talk, n-n... now...!” ⬙

MADARA: “...?!” ⬙

EICHI: “You’ve made it so obvious it’s you that we s-start... to think it’s not you... I-I don’t know why you’re doing this, but haven’t you had enough...?! Isn’t this enough?! Wataruuu———!” ⬙

He’s back to wailing, sinking to his knees, chest rising and falling quickly. It seems he’s pushed himself into hyperventilation, unable to breathe properly. He clutches at his chest, head hanging. ⬙

“F-First Hajime-kun... R-R-Ritsu...kun... W-Wataru...” ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Defend himself
  * Say nothing



>>> Say nothing

EICHI: “... Stop... taking everyone... from me... If Keito were here, you’d... you’d take him, too...?” ⬙

Madara wants to ask him if he likes how it feels, but he refrains from doing so, choosing to stay silent instead. He bites his lip, letting Eichi continue. ⬙

EICHI: “You... You’re troublesome... I wished... I wished you would break into pieces... and I wish it even now... So... just break, just break, like I—” ⬙

He goes into a coughing fit again, and this time, Madara takes a step back. ⬙

LEO: “... Tenshouin,” says Leo, stepping further into the room. “Tenshi, listen to yourself... calm down... Calm down... Madara didn’t... He couldn’t have done this.” ⬙

He kneels down next to Eichi, squeezing his shoulder. ⬙

“Deep breaths, Tenshi, like before... Don’t work yourself into a fit.” ⬙

EICHI: “Work myself into a FIT? That’s what you’re calling—” ⬙

He coughs, tears stinging his eyes, clutching more at his chest as his head hangs once more. ⬙

Chiaki stutters as he speaks, taking only a few steps inward. As Madara glances back at him, it’s clear that he doesn’t want to. ⬙

How he looks is almost reminiscent. ⬙

“T-T-Tsukinaga is right... Tenshouin! Y-You’re... You’re only going to hurt yourself, s-so... So... S-So...” ⬙

“So...” ⬙

SORA: “...!” ⬙

[“It’s... like the sun... Red, but getting darker...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/7RPxSwRcn5g)

Natsume looks over at Chiaki, eyes widening slightly. ⬙

“... So you’ve seen that color after aLL.” ⬙

SORA: “So-Sora’s sure... Sora’s sure... It’s...” ⬙

“Red Hero-san, why were you Mike-kun?” ⬙

Chiaki pauses, and all eyes fall on him. ⬙

“H... Huh? What do you mean?” ⬙

SORA: “... Your color... Mike-kun’s color... They’re the same... Sora knows it now.” ⬙

[EICHI: “... Chiaki... did this?” ⬙](https://youtu.be/SFVSQZH6I60)

MADARA: “...?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “I-I...” ⬙

EICHI: “Did you do this, Chiaki? D-Did you k-kill Wataru...?!” ⬙

SHU: “If... If you were this cat, then... the others, them, too...?!” ⬙

TOMOYA: “Y-You... You made me...?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... I...” ⬙

SORA: “H-Hold on... Hold on, the color is dark, Sora said, so he-he’s...” ⬙

Eichi stands up, shakily, holding onto the table for support, looking like he’s going to fall again at any moment. ⬙

“You killed them all?” ⬙

LEO: “Our friends...? It was...?” ⬙

NATSUME: “...hM.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “... Ch-Chiaki-san... Say something.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “... Chiaki-san...?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “Chiaki-san!” ⬙

CHIAKI: “S-Sorry! Sorry, I’m sorry, Mikejima-san, please—” ⬙

He cowers, slightly, hands over his head. ⬙

“Please... Don’t...” ⬙

Madara takes a step back, surprised. “Chiaki-san?” ⬙

A standoff between Madara and Chiaki takes place. Chiaki cowers, and for every half step Madara takes, Chiaki takes a full step back. ⬙

A voice comes from Mike-kun’s collar again. ⬙

PAPA: “Aaaaahahaha! It’s a special day, you know! Ahahahaha! 'Two birds, one stone'! Go down one floor, to bedroom number two, lucky participants...” ⬙

SORA: “... It’s a different color.” ⬙

“They’re all blue... They’re letting themselves show... Blue, angry...” ⬙

He clutches onto Natsume tighter. ⬙

PAPA: “Mamaaa! Leo-san! Eichi-san! Aaaaand... Chiaki-san!” ⬙

“Second floor, second room! Be there, be there! In ten minutes! Farewell, farewellll...!” ⬙

The feed cuts off. ⬙

CHIAKI: "... Mikejima... san." ⬙

 


	16. ⛩️CHAPTER 6: BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE⛩️

[Sora couldn’t say who had been blue.](https://youtu.be/X_8o4si2A5w) But Sora definitely said that the red had been Chiaki’s red, and Chiaki couldn’t say anything. He only kept tearing up, shaking his head. ⬙

NATSUME: “Something is peculiar about him, isn’t theRE?” Natsume asks after the four—Madara, Leo, Chiaki, and Eichi—had left towards the stairs. He helps Sora to his feet, moving carefully around the table and the bodies. ⬙

SHU: “...How do you figure?” ⬙

NATSUME: “It’s almost as if he is being forCED. That he cannot tell who the actual perpetrator iS.” ⬙

Sora nods. “... Shisho, his colors... They’re being blackened, darkened, and destroyed, and they’re kind of purpleish now, too... They’re not sunny, like before... So, Sora thinks Shisho is right, like always...” ⬙

Natsume smiles at him, and the remaining four descend the stairs, then the stairs again, to the main room, where they’ll watch as always. ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

[EICHI: “Open the door, Chiaki. Won’t you?” ⬙](https://youtu.be/orZ43I9rkhw)

Chiaki, defeated and sniffling, places his hands on the doorknob to his room. The room he shares with Madara and Leo. Madara watches him quietly, in the back of the group, one hand on Leo’s shoulder. ⬙

Chiaki opens the door, without wincing. Nothing out of the ordinary happens. The bedroom is the normal bedroom, how they left it. ⬙

That is, save for the divisions set up. ⬙

As they enter the room, they’re met with only a small triangular part of it. In front of them is a stool, as well as a small, round, end table, with something on it covered in a cloth. ⬙

In the divisions, there is a door on either new side, making two doors, not counting the one they are in. ⬙

EICHI: “Do you know what this ‘festival game’ will be, Chiaki?” ⬙

Chiaki doesn’t answer, but he does enter the room. ⬙

Leo follows after him, brushing past Chiaki and Eichi both, removing the cloth from the— ⬙

<https://goo.gl/659LJa>

The loudspeaker sounds a deceptively loud alarm, and Leo jumps, stumbling backwards. Madara strides in, catching him before he falls, though Eichi winces at the noise. ⬙

It quiets down, and soon, P.A.P.A.’s voice comes through instead. ⬙

“Hahahaha! It’s time for an emergency broadcast, after all!” ⬙

“Sorry, sorryyyy~ Anyway, ahahaha, this festival will be very, very fun!” ⬙

EICHI: “Chiaki, who are you WORKING with?” Eichi shakes his head, still wincing. Madara guesses it gave him a headache quite quickly. ⬙

Chiaki only bites his lip. Madara can’t tear his eyes away from him. He really does look like... like how he used to. ⬙

PAPA: “Alriiight, alright, let’s ‘get the show on the road’ already!” ⬙

“The room has been divided up into four triangles with a column in the center. The doors will lock behind you and STAY LOCKED once you’ve passed through a door. Only one person may be in any section at a time, too!” ⬙

“So, why don’t we choose our sections? After you’ve all chosen, and chosen wisely, you’ll get further instructions.” ⬙

※You know the drill.   
First place will get room 1. Second place will get Room 2. So on!  
Choose wisely...

 

Where will everyone go?

  * Madara - 2
  * Chiaki - 4
  * Eichi - 1
  * Leo - 3



EICHI: “... I’m going to stay here. I’m...” He looks down at himself, covering his mouth, and removes his blood-covered blazer, tossing it in the corner. “... I’m not feeling well.” He sits down on the stool, fixing his shirt. ⬙

Madara can see the beginning of tears as he looks over at the blazer again. ⬙

Chiaki sniffles once more. “... I will take four.” ⬙

And with one last glance at Madara—almost PLEADING, Madara thinks, and his heart twists—he’s seen that look before from him—he moves through the door on the left. ⬙

EICHI: “Four is the number of death, you know,” Eichi calls out as Chiaki leaves, but Chiaki doesn’t look back. His demeanor changed completely since the festival he was in with Chiaki... ⬙

LEO: “... I guess that just leaves us, Mama.” ⬙

Madara smiles, but even he’s not in the mood for laughter. He does, however, sweep his arms underneath Leo, picking him up and carrying him through the door. Leo doesn’t fight it at all. ⬙

“I’ll stay here,” he says as the door closes behind them. “And you go on into the next room.” ⬙

Leo blinks, sniffling as he’s set down. He pauses in the doorway. “... Madara, remember that I love you.” ⬙

NOW, Madara laughs. “Ahahaha! Now, now, don’t talk so finite! Remember that Mama’s here, so—” ⬙

LEO: “Please.” ⬙

MADARA: “... I love you too, Leo-san. Don’t worry.” ⬙

At least... At the very least, one of them is dying. Madara doesn’t know how he can skew the results so that he can be that one, not yet. But can he? ⬙

... His last plan the skew the results didn’t work as planned. Did it? ⬙

Leo continues on through the door and shuts it, and he hears it lock behind him. Madara sits down on the stool, and the speakers crackle back to life. ⬙

PAPA: “Ahaha! Took ya long enough... Alright, alright. Let’s get started. The rules are simple.” ⬙

“Underneath the cloth on the table before you is a black cup with a lid on it. You can’t see the contents of it until you take the lid off.” ⬙

Madara uncovers his cup, tossing the cloth lackadaisically to the side. He notes, before he does so, that it’s purple. The one in the main room was red...? ⬙

Or was it blue? ⬙

Regardless, there’s a black cup with a black lid on it. There’s also a rubber band around it that’s purple. ⬙

PAPA: “Three of the cups have poison in them. One of the cups is poison-free... Though it’s up to you to figure out which one. Under NO circumstances are you to discuss the contents of the cups.” ⬙

“You may have three minutes of free time to discuss whatever it is that you wish, besides the cups and the bands of color around them.” ⬙

“Should we deem you talking about such a thing, you will be killed immediately by something very, very, very, VERY heavy falling on your head. Don’t look up!” ⬙

Madara doesn’t. ⬙

“At the end of the three minutes, all four of you, starting from room one, will put your cup in the center. Then we will start from room one again, who will choose a new cup to take.” ⬙

“You get three more minutes.” ⬙

“At the end of that three minutes, you will all repeat that process.” ⬙

“Be careful! ... This is the last time. You can only choose a different cup twice, meaning you won’t ever be able to see the contents of the last cup. Ahahahaha!” ⬙

“You can choose the same color of cup you had only on the first round. Did you figure out which one was poisoned, which one wasn’t? It’s impossible to tell by just one look, but if you want to take a guess that it was your first one... then that’s for you.” ⬙

“Room 4, of course, doesn’t get a choice in which cup to take, so they’re exempt from this rule! How unlucky, ahahahaha!” ⬙

Madara swallows. Chiaki-san? ⬙

“You can now view the contents of your cups and start the first round of discussion. Be sure to look closely... It’s a little dark in here.” ⬙

[Madara picks up the cup with the purple band](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ), taking the lid off. He sniffs it first, but there’s no scent to it at all. When he looks inside, the liquid is... dark. Very dark. ⬙

At this point he realizes he’s absolute, goddamn fucked. Is this red? Is this a dark red, a deep red, a deep blue? He can’t tell. He can’t tell at all, because he can’t see the color red, especially in dimmer settings. ⬙

“Fuck.” He guesses this is a red. ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Antagonize Eichi
  * Defend Chiaki
  * Apologize to Leo 



>>> Defend Chiaki

[Madara sighs](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ), setting the cup back down on the small table in front of him. This isn’t going to go well at all, not when he can’t see what he’s supposed to be seeing. ⬙

Was this on purpose? Using the color red? ⬙

He chews on his lip, sighing again. ⬙

“...” ⬙

EICHI: “[Mm...](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo) I can’t really tell anything quite yet, so why don’t we have a nice chat?” ⬙

LEO: “A nice chat? About what?” ⬙

EICHI: “I want Chiaki to speak, so please, Chiaki, answer me this: Did you set this up?” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

There’s no answer. ⬙

EICHI: “Where have your heroic ideals gone? Is this really all your doing?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “I...” ⬙

EICHI: “Come on, now. You can answer, can’t you? Why can’t you answer and safely say this wasn’t your doing?” ⬙

MADARA: “Hey, hey, Eichi-saaaan... You’re going to pressure him into admitting something he didn’t do!” ⬙

EICHI: “There’s really no one else that it could be, could it?” ⬙

MADARA: “You’re just looking for someone to blaaame, as expected!” ⬙

EICHI: “Was that Harukawa wrong, then, Mikejima?” ⬙

MADARA: “I don’t know how that works. He could’ve been wrong... But Chiaki-san didn’t do it.” ⬙

“I know he would nev—” ⬙

Chiaki’s voice is quiet, a stake driving straight through Madara’s heart with every syllable. He can’t see him, but he wishes he could. ⬙

“I did it.” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

LEO: “...” ⬙

EICHI: “...” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Th-That’s what you wanted to hear, right? That I did it? Because... Because I did...” ⬙

“Mikejima-san, I... I disappointed you again, because I did it... I...” ⬙

MADARA: “Disappointed again...? What are you...” ⬙

CHIAKI: “I did it... I did it... I killed them, Mikejima-san, Tenshouin, Tsukinaga. I-It’s all... It’s all my fault... b-because... Because I’m...” ⬙

PAPA: “[Haaahaha](https://youtu.be/raQ8ATBniAQ)! Alright! Time’s up! Eichi-san, please put your cup into the spot when it slides open. Everyone else, do the same!” ⬙

There’s a sliding sound, and then a bit of rustling to Madara’s left, on the other side of the wall. The sliding sound happens again, and then Madara’s area slides open. ⬙

He takes one last look at the cup, then sets it inside. He notes the band around the other cup, Eichi’s, is blue. His guess was right. ⬙

It nearly takes his hand off as it slides shut again. It proceeds around in a circle to Leo, then Chiaki again, and then it opens up on Eichi’s side again. ⬙

EICHI: “... I just... take one, yes? I suppose I should just go for it... Please excuse me as I do so. My apologies, Mikejima.” ⬙

A few moments later, Madara’s section slides open again. Three cups are inside — his first, the purple one; Eichi’s, the blue one; and a yellow one. ⬙

Which cup should Madara take?

  * The blue one
  * The yellow one
  * The purple one



>>> The purple one

Madara reaches his hand out. It lingers around the yellow cup for a split second before he shakes his head, taking back the purple cup. He really should grab a different color, but there’s no reason not to take back his previous cup as well. ⬙

He peers inside it. It’s the same color as before. Dark, dim, a color he can’t see well. Is this red...? This is the worst game for someone like him to be playing. ⬙

Truthfully, he can barely even see the color purple. That’s why he’s almost envious of Sora from Switch. ⬙

But he digresses. ⬙

He can’t take his own cup again after this. What was the point in doing this? Maybe he really messed up. ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Antagonize Chiaki
  * Get closure with Eichi
  * Talk to Leo
  * Say nothing



>>> Get closure with Eichi

[LEO: “...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/uCTh6TW4smo)

“Hey... Hey, is this... is this the last time some of us will speak to one another?” ⬙

“I don’t like that thought... I don’t like it at all, huh...” ⬙

MADARA: “... Leo-san, I...” ⬙

LEO: “There’s so much I have to say still... I don’t have the words... Aaah... Ahh...” ⬙

He sniffles from the other side of the wall, and Madara feels a pang in his heart. He wants to get up and comfort him, but he can’t. He can’t do anything. He’s completely and utterly helpless right now. ⬙

He swirls the contents of his cup around. ⬙

LEO: “Tenshi... Tenshi, I’m sorry... I’m s-sorry for everything...” ⬙

EICHI: “...!” ⬙

“What are you saying? What are you sorry for?” ⬙

“... If anyone should be sorry, it should be me.” ⬙

MADARA: “... You really should be sorry to him.” ⬙

“After all you’ve done to him, and you only apologize when ‘knocking on death’s door’...” ⬙

“It’s despicable.” ⬙

EICHI: “I hadn’t intended to hurt him—” ⬙

MADARA: “It doesn’t matter! You... You still did. I break things all the time without realizing it, but I still own up to it! Don’t you understand?” ⬙

“It’s something even someone like me can understand!” ⬙

LEO: “Uu... Stop yelling, stop fighting! Stop... stop fighting...” ⬙

“Be friends with one another... Be friends, be friends, be friends!” ⬙

EICHI: “...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

EICHI: “Mikejima-kun, you look down on yourself a lot, don’t you?” ⬙

MADARA: “Huh?” ⬙

EICHI: “You say things like ‘even someone like me’ and the like. What’s the meaning of it? Do you not have faith in your abilities like always?” ⬙

“You’ve always been so confident, so loud, that it’s hard to see. Always smiling.” ⬙

“But is the smile fake, Mikejima-kun?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... uu...” ⬙

MADARA: “...” ⬙

LEO: “... Just be friends... please... Tenshi is good, and so is Madara! I love you both... So please...” ⬙

EICHI: “I don’t say that out of malice. Don’t worry, Tsukinaga-kun. And have you forgotten I’ve stuck up for Mikejima-kun this entire time?” ⬙

“It seems my hunches were right. It wasn’t the person everyone suspected for a long time. It was too obvious. I knew it wasn’t Mikejima-kun’s style at all.” ⬙

“... Perhaps we are alike in some ways, Mikejima-kun.” ⬙

MADARA: “... I’m not sure how that makes me feel.” ⬙

EICHI: “It’s alright. I’ve done many bad things. You can take your hatred of me to the grave.” ⬙

PAPA: “Enough chitchaaat! It’s time to finally put your cups in again! Room 1, let’s start with you.” ⬙

Everyone goes around in a circle again, placing their cups. Madara sees that when he goes to put his own in again, that Eichi has placed a cup with a darkened color, which Madara can only surmise is red. ⬙

The door slides shut. The others put their cups in. Eventually, it gets back to Eichi, who chooses a cup, then Madara. ⬙

Three cups are inside: A yellow one, the dark one, and the blue one. It seems Eichi chose the purple one this time. ⬙

What cup should Madara take?

  * The yellow one
  * The red(?) one
  * The blue one



>>> The blue one

This is Madara’s final choice. Since he didn’t get a chance to look at a different cup on the last round, he has no idea if this cup is a winner or not. ⬙

He pulls out the blue one from the little area and looks inside. It’s a clear liquid, though it looks completely cloudy. ⬙

CHIAKI: “[Mikejima-san](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g)... I hope you miss... m-miss... I...” ⬙

He’s struggling with the words, as if this is the hardest thing he’s ever tried to say. It doesn’t help that it sounds like Chiaki’s close to sobbing. ⬙

“Mike...jima-san... please... I hope... I hope... you miss Kanata...” ⬙

MADARA: “?” ⬙

“Of... course I do... Why do you bring it up?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Please... I...” ⬙

EICHI: “Chiaki?” ⬙

The door slides shut, and it proceeds to Leo, then proceeds to Chiaki, who is flat out sobbing at this point. ⬙

CHIAKI: “I-I’m sorry... I’m sorry, everyone... I... I had to... I’m... sorry... Please, Mikejima-san... please... save the others...” ⬙

“At least... At least, I-I hope... I hope you miss Kanata... please...” ⬙

Does Mama miss Kanata?

  * Yes?
  * Is Chiaki OK?



>>> Is Chiaki OK?

MADARA: “Chiaki-san... Chiaki-san, calm down. Are you alright?” ⬙

“I-I mean... as much as you can be in this situation, are you alright?” ⬙

Chiaki doesn’t answer, he only sobs. He tries to get a grip on himself, tries to stop crying, and he makes a small, muffled noise of pain. ⬙

MADARA: “Chiaki-san? Chiaki-san?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “Mikejima...san... please...” ⬙

PAPA: “That’s enough! Say your goodbyes and drink up! Did you get poisoned or not? Ahahah!” ⬙

Who should Mama say goodbye to?

  * Chiaki
  * Eichi
  * Leo



>>> Chiaki, Leo

[MADARA: “... Leo-san...” ⬙](https://youtu.be/FeM9GjwPXOk)

LEO: “You don’t have to say it, Mama... Madara, you don’t have to say it...” ⬙

“In fact, p-please don’t say it... then it just... becomes true, if you say it!” ⬙

“S-So don’t! Don’t say it!” ⬙

“Don’t say goodbye!” ⬙

MADARA: “... Then... Then I just want to say... That I love you, Leo-san... Leo.” ⬙

“Thank you... for always being by my side. For... For loving me, too.” ⬙

Chiaki sniffles. Leo sniffles. ⬙

“Thank you... for giving me a chance.” ⬙

LEO: “Of... of course... I... I wanted... No, I still want! To be with you forever and ever and ever and ever and... and.. ... and ever... And... Madara... Madara, why?” ⬙

“Why did this happen?” ⬙

MADARA: “I...” ⬙

Why did this happen? ⬙

CHIAKI: “B-Because... Because I’m weak... s-so... s-s-sorry... I’m sorry...” ⬙

MADARA: “Chiaki-san... Chiaki-san, you too, thank you...” ⬙

“Don’t beat yourself up... so much. You... You’re better now, aren’t you?” ⬙

“I’ll... I’ll save everyone...” ⬙

He silently cries. ⬙

Should Mama drink?

  * Yes
  * Yes



>>> Yes

[Madara sniffles](https://youtu.be/HHsHJn7lH3g), tries to get a hold of himself. ⬙

EICHI: “... Goodbye, everyone. Thank you for a wonderful school life.” ⬙

LEO: “N-No! No, no no! No!!!” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Aaah...” ⬙

Madara drinks from the cup, sniffling again right before he does so. ⬙

It... tastes like water. Though there’s something... acrid tasting in there. He downs the cup, more tears spilling over his cheeks. He can’t get out of this one. ⬙

He couldn’t help anyone, as the pain sets in. ⬙

As his throat begins to close. ⬙

LEO: “No, no! Nooo!” ⬙

He’s a failure. ⬙

He’s no mama. He couldn’t save anyone. ⬙

He drops the cup. ⬙

He can’t hear Leo sobbing anymore. He’s stopped yelling, though he’s still trying to do so, but it’s coming out as nothing but a strained wheeze. ⬙

To his left, he hears a heavy thump. Did Eichi fall from the chair? ⬙

He doesn’t know. ⬙

He tastes blood all in his mouth. ⬙

He closes his eyes. ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

CHIAKI: “Mikejima-saaaaaaan!” ⬙


	17. ⛩️CHAPTER 7: FINALE: BURNING BURNT BRIDGES⛩️

[His head is killing him.](https://youtu.be/7eWaxTNbPJk) Actually, scratch that. Everywhere is killing him. There’s not a spot on his body that isn’t in an incredible amount of pain. ⬙

He can’t move. He can’t, no matter how much he tries to. Maybe it’s for the better. He can’t even open his eyes. ⬙

He still tastes blood. Everywhere, everywhere in his mouth... He hasn’t tasted blood in a very long time. Not since... ⬙

When was that? Well, he can’t remember. ⬙

But it’s been a very, very long time. ⬙

Regardless, why can’t he move? What was he doing? ⬙

There’s a weight on him. He tries opening his eyes. ⬙

He can do it... He can do it... ⬙

MADARA: “... a...h...” ⬙

He manages to open them somewhat. The lights are dim wherever he is, so he can see slightly. It’s a lot easier said than done, still. ⬙

What’s this weight on him? He still can’t move much. ⬙

He hears some shuffling coming from somewhere distant, yet in the same large room. ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Call out for help
  * Stay silent



>>> Stay silent

He stays quiet. Even if he wanted to speak, he couldn’t. He can barely get any whimpers out. ⬙

He... He was poisoned, wasn’t he? Then why is he alive? ⬙

Is that why his body feels so heavy? ⬙

The weight on him keeps pressing down, down, down. He feels like he’s going to suffocate. What is this? What is this? ⬙

A thud, coming from the same area as the shuffling, resonates through this room. What room is this? A basement? It looks like it, but not a basement from the Calico House. What is this? Where is he? ⬙

Another thud, then another. Someone cries out. Another thud. No, no... Not thuds. ⬙

Someone’s getting punched, desperately trying to hold in any sounds they might make. They’re failing awfully. Madara winces at more punches, and more, and more, and more. There’s not just one person punching, either. ⬙

It’s a real beating. The person keeps crying out, sobbing. ⬙

He feels bad, almost. ⬙

There’s a large thud, wet and heavy. It’s not a punch. It’s someone clearly falling to the ground. ⬙

Madara can move a little now, but he doesn’t dare. He’s not stupid. He’s been in situations like this before. ⬙

There’s the sound of a door opening and closing after several people shuffle out. Three...? Two? Three people? ⬙

The person on the ground keeps sobbing. He realizes who it is now, after a few more minutes. ⬙

MADARA: “Chi...a...ki-san...” ⬙

Chiaki keeps sobbing, and sobbing, and sobbing. And sobbing, and sobbing, and sobbing. Madara feels like he’s going to truly die between the weight on his chest, the poison(?), and Chiaki sobbing. ⬙

It’s just like old times, isn’t it? ⬙

He tries to move his arm, and he finally manages to move both of them. He closes his eyes with exertion, finding the source of the weight on his chest, and he shoves. It takes a few minutes, but the weight is lifted after some great pushing. ⬙

A mop of red hair lands next to him, and suddenly the adrenaline kicks in, and Madara sits up. He looks down at Leo, and he looks, and he looks, and he waits, and waits, but Leo does not move. ⬙

He’s not even breathing. ⬙

Madara feels like he’s not breathing either. ⬙

He shuffles backwards, slowly but surely, and hits something else. His head whips over his shoulder, and he sees the corpse of Eichi face down. He jumps, scooting in a different direction, away from both of them. ⬙

Keep it calm, keep it calm. ⬙

No, no, he can’t. He feels the tears spring forth again, though only a few fall. His expression doesn’t change, though — one of shock, of despair. He can only silently cry. ⬙

This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. ⬙

Why him? Why did he live? Why, why, why? ⬙

Leo... Eichi-san... ⬙

Leo... Leo, Leo, Leo... ⬙

He realizes he’s full out crying several moments later, with his face in his hands. He curls up, covered in vomit and blood, and he sobs. He wants to go home. He wants to go home, and have fun with everyone instead. ⬙

He wants to be friends with everyone. ⬙

That’s all he’s ever wanted. To be friends with everyone, to laugh with everyone. Even if he had trouble understanding people, he wanted to try. ⬙

He reaches forward, pulls Leo into his lap. He’s still moving sort of sluggishly, and his head still hurts. ⬙

MADARA: “... Leo... Leo... I’m... I’m so sorry... I’m sorry... Leo, Leo... Leo... Please... Please, Leo... Please...” ⬙

He pets his hair, curls over on him. ⬙

“Leo... Leo... Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh.......” ⬙

A raspy voice calls out to him. ⬙

CHIAKI: “Mike...jima-san... please... please get out of here...” ⬙

“There’s... a door by you... you can leave through too...” ⬙

Madara turns his head slightly, sniffling, looking over at Chiaki. He’s crumpled on the floor, with his face and other parts of his body that Madara can see beaten and bruised. His nose is bleeding severely, and he’s cut in several places too. ⬙

CHIAKI: “You... need to get out... save... save the ... others...” ⬙

Madara whimpers, holding Leo closer. He doesn’t want to leave him. He can’t... He can’t... ⬙

What should Mama do?

  * Leave now
  * Stay with Leo
  * Go to Chiaki



>>> Go to Chiaki

[Madara looks back down at Leo.](https://youtu.be/7eWaxTNbPJk) He doesn’t want to leave him... but Leo’s already left him. So... So he has to focus on the present. ⬙

Regretting is a human weakness. ⬙

Madara wipes his eyes, and he gently sets Leo down, putting his hands on his chest as if he were just sleeping. ⬙

He turns back to Chiaki. ⬙

He’s only human. ⬙

Madara stumbles to his feet. A case of vertigo hits him pretty badly, and he nearly falls over, but he perseveres and stays on his feet. He stumbles again as he takes a few steps. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Mikejima-san... No... Not this door, go through that door!” ⬙

“They’ll be coming back soon... S-So go...” ⬙

MADARA: “... I said... I said I’ll save everyone,” he says, dropping to one knee next to Chiaki. He pulls the other into his arms, gently but firmly, securely and warmly. He wipes away some of the blood from his face. ⬙

“That includes you.” ⬙

“Can you stand?” He slings one of Chiaki’s arms around him and hoists him to his feet. Chiaki wobbles, clinging to Madara, gaze averted. ⬙

“Let’s go, Chiaki-san.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “... It’s just like you to be awake and moving so quickly already...” ⬙

“But that’s Mikejima-san... for you.” ⬙

MADARA: “Eh? What do you mean? You mean the poison... I don’t know what happened.” ⬙

CHIAKI: “You miss Kanata, right? ... You picked the blue one, right? You must’ve, since it’s you and not one of the others.” ⬙

MADARA: “...! Is that what you meant? You knew which one wasn’t poisoned?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “They... They were all poisoned, but I... but I... had an antidote. So I put most of it in the blue one... and hoped you would pick that one.” ⬙

“It was stupid, and risky, but...” ⬙

“I knew you would be able to do it.” ⬙

MADARA: “So does that mean you didn’t drink yours?” ⬙

CHIAKI: “...” ⬙

“I’m only going to slow you down, Mikejima-san. So go on ahead. I appreciate it, but the others are more important than me.” ⬙

Madara starts walking, half dragging, half carrying Chiaki along towards the door closer to where he started out at. ⬙

CHIAKI: “Mikejima-san... please... just leave me... I’m not supposed to leave.” ⬙

“If I leave, they’ll... they’ll...” ⬙

MADARA: “Who is doing this, Chiaki? Tell me. Not Mama, but Madara. Tell Madara.” ⬙

Chiaki sniffles, lowering his gaze. He leans against Madara heavily, sniffling again. ⬙

“... they’ll hurt RYUSEITAI, if... if I leave.” ⬙

“... Nagumo, Takamine, Sengoku... It’s why I went along with it...” ⬙

“So I can’t... I have... to stay... and let them... let them do whatever they want...” ⬙

Madara keeps walking, ignoring him asking to stay. “Who, though? Who, Chiaki? Who is doing this?” ⬙

Chiaki takes a shuddering breath. “... I... It’s... You know them... They hate you... I-It’s—” ⬙

[The door behind them opens. ⬙](https://youtu.be/uQLur18mvkI)

MAN ON RIGHT: “Oi. Where the hell you going?” ⬙

MAN ON LEFT: “That Mikejima... He’s still alive? Chiaki, what did you do? Are you leaving us?” ⬙

MAN IN CENTER: “Is Chiaki-chan trying to leave us? My, my.” ⬙

Chiaki hisses. “I... Mikejima-san, you have to leave. Just leave me!” ⬙

Madara looks over his shoulder, biting his lip. He remembers these faces. They look exactly the same. ⬙

The members of the old RYUSEITAI. ⬙

MADARA: “Aren’t you three taking your hatred of me a little too far? Where’d you even get the funds for this...? Don’t tell me, Masato-san, did your family fund this?” ⬙

MASATO: “I have my own private lines, you know. Madara-chan, how are you still alive, more pressingly? We thought we were rid of you once and for all.” ⬙

MAN ON LEFT: “Masato-sama, where did we go wrong?” ⬙

MAN ON RIGHT: “Tch. We gave that Chiaki too much freedom, didn’t we? We should break his legs next.” ⬙

Chiaki winces. ⬙

Madara starts walking again, holding Chiaki closer. “Kenji-san, so violent. Violence solves noooothing, don’t you know? Or are you too much of a brawn?” ⬙

“And Ichirou-san, you always did follow Masato-san like an ugly chick. Good to see you still can’t think for yourself.” ⬙

“I’m not going to let you hurt Chiaki-san, nor anyone else.” ⬙

MASATO: “If you go through that door, I will press a button that will kill the children of new RYUSEITAI. I’m sure Chiaki-chan doesn’t want that, yes, yes?” ⬙

“So stay put.” ⬙

Madara manages to get to the door, and he doesn’t go through the door. Instead, he sets Chiaki against the wall, smiling assuredly at him. ⬙

He turns on his heels towards the other three, taking a few still-shaky steps towards them. ⬙

“I’m going to take care of you three once and for all. It'll be a festival.” ⬙

MASATO: “...” ⬙

ICHIROU: “...” ⬙

KENJI: “...” ⬙

Chiaki shakes his head. “Mikejima-san! Stop it!” ⬙

Madara ignores him, taking a few more steps towards the trio. ⬙

Suddenly, he’s staring down the barrel of a gun. Sweat rolls down his neck, but he doesn’t stop smiling. This isn’t anything new. ⬙

In Masato’s other hand is a remote control box. There’s a few buttons on it, but Masato thumbs the biggest one in the center. ⬙

“I told you. I can kill the children of RYUSEITAI. Will you get blood on your hands?” ⬙

Madara grabs the gun, pulls it closer, and aims it directly at his head. ⬙

“Will you?” ⬙

[Masato seems shocked](https://youtu.be/VlVT234OA0o), to say the least. Kenji moves in closer, pressing another gun against Mama’s side. Ichirou stays put, but he moves in front of Masato slightly. ⬙

CHIAKI: “M-Mikejima-san!” ⬙

A trigger is pulled. ⬙

Nothing happens. Masato clicks his tongue. “Lucky. Kenji-chan, withdraw your gun. We’ll play a game. One final time.” ⬙

Kenji does as he’s told, and Masato withdraws his own gun. He hands Ichirou the remote control box, aiming the gun at his own head. ⬙

KENJI: “Oi, boss!” ⬙

ICHIROU: “Masato-sama!” ⬙

Madara laughs. “Are we playing Russian Roulette? It’s a favorite game of mine. Go ahead.” ⬙

Masato does not answer and pulls the trigger, closing his eyes. Nothing happens. He aims the gun at Madara again, who feels more sweat trickle down his neck. ⬙

MADARA: “Hurry up alreadyyy~” ⬙

Masato moves the gun slightly, pointing it past Madara. Madara turns his head slightly, just in time to be deafened by the firing of a bullet. ⬙

Chiaki cries out in pain. ⬙

Madara, still barely able to hear, ears ringing, rushes forward, tackling Masato to the ground. He hears the gun fall from his hand, clattering to the floor. ⬙

Like they had done to Chiaki earlier, Madara starts wailing on Masato, after pinning him to the floor with all of his weight. ⬙

The cool metal presses up against his neck again and he stops. His hands wrap around Masato’s neck. ⬙

“Give me the remote,” he says through grit teeth, "and I’ll let him go.” ⬙

KENJI: “Could just shoot ya now.” ⬙

MADARA: “Then do it.” ⬙

There’s a pause, and Kenji pulls the trigger. A searing pain shoots through Madara’s right arm, traveling all the way down to the very tips of his fingers. He grits his teeth even harder, biting the inside of his cheek. ⬙

“The remote... Give it to me...” He squeezes Masato’s neck harder, effectively cutting off his air supply. ⬙

ICHIROU: “Masato-sama... Uu, should I give it to him?” ⬙

The door next to Chiaki slams open. ⬙

POLICE: “Put your hands in the air!” ⬙

A Special Assault Team of police file into the room, one by one. Two stop by Chiaki to help him once they notice him, but the others surround the four in the center of the room. ⬙

POLICE: “I said, put your hands in the air!” ⬙

Madara rolls off of Masato, landing on his left arm. Masato coughs almost violently, but Madara can barely hear him. He just focuses on the pain of his right arm, covering the wound. ⬙

Kenji drops the gun, and Ichirou drops the remote. They both put their hands in the air. ⬙

Madara looks back to Chiaki, lying on the ground, surrounded by a few paramedics now. ⬙

Chiaki-san... Chiaki... ⬙

PARAMEDIC: “God—he’s not—” ⬙

Chiaki... Chiaki... Please... ⬙

CHIAKI: “... [Mikejima-san](https://youtu.be/HLJUT4_94Tg)... I’m... I’m sorry for... for slowing you down...” ⬙

“If... If the poison... hadn’t killed me...” ⬙

“I...” ⬙

“...I...” ⬙

“... Mikejima-san... I don’t want... to... die...” ⬙

PARAMEDIC: “Save your strength! I can’t stop the bleeding!” ⬙

Madara rolls over, letting go of his arm to try and crawl towards Chiaki. He promised he’d save him, too. Everyone, everyone, including him... ⬙

He can’t see Chiaki, surrounded by too many people. A paramedic approaches Madara, too, but he just shoves him off, crawling, crawling. ⬙

CHIAKI: “... Madara-san... thank you, for... saving the others... I...” ⬙

Madara can’t move any further. He reaches his arm out, reach, reach, reach. ⬙

“I love...” ⬙

PARAMEDIC: “———————!” ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

... ⬙

[The room is cold and sterile.](https://youtu.be/4QOXPiSr8oQ) He wants to go home already. ⬙

But he has to come here. He comes here every day. He feels suffocated, coming here, locked up in this ward, waiting, waiting, for the day he’s released and can go home. ⬙

The others are in different hospitals for the most part. Natsume is here in this hospital, but he doesn’t have to come as often. He doesn’t have to stay. ⬙

He sees Sora sometimes, too, but he’s in a different ward. ⬙

Madara swallows spit as the door opens and the doctor enters. His long purple hair always throws Madara off, especially whenever he sits down. ⬙

The doctor asks him how he is. ⬙

Madara bites his lips, and he bursts into tears. ⬙

MADARA: “My skies are grey.” ⬙

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for joining me on this journey! It was really, really fun! Sorry the ending seems a bit rushed! 
> 
> Sprites of Ex-RYUSEITAI were made by YuukiCrossPudding AND Red Chan. Thank you!


End file.
